


INDISSOLUBLE

by DeanandCas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cursed Castiel, Cursed Dean, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mild Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-13 01:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 44,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11173953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanandCas/pseuds/DeanandCas
Summary: Dean and Castiel... lovers separated by a curse but bound by an undissoluble love.





	1. Marble

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally written in Brazilian Portuguese. I'm trying my best to translate this fic to English but it is unbetaed so if you spot any mistakes feel free to correct me or give any suggestions to improve understanding. Thanks for your patience!
> 
> Brazilian Portuguese version: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4393217/chapters/9973826

The faint light of dawn penetrated the dense forest, revealing for only a moment the presence of something unexpected amid the wild nature.

Sculpted in green marble, the statue of an archer in an unusual position, stood among the trees on the mossy ground. Who could have left there, in a remote place, a work of art of such perfection? The sculpure of a standing man, his arms along his body, his face turned upward, as if in supplication to the heavens, the bow crossed behind his back while his quiver hung from his left hand, touching the ground.

However, as soon as the first rays of sun rose over the horizon and dyed the dark sky with a reddish hue, the cold stone seemed to melt like ice in early spring. In a single instant, the rigid sculpture became malleable turning by magic into a man of flesh and blood. He took a deep breath and his green eyes closed as his head turned toward the sun.

“One more day, one less night”, he thought grimly. He walked to the place where he had tied his horse to leave for a journey that would last only the time of the sun crossing the sky.

 

The night came to an end. In a few minutes, the sun would bring light back into the world. But for the man sitting at the table, surrounded by books, the rays of the sun were shackles.

He blew off the candles he had kept on during his night study. Tired, discouraged, he let his head fall forward, resting on his hands on the table. At that very moment, at dawn, a stone statue took his place in the room filled with volumes of parchment bound in leather. As the outer light took over through one of the ripped curtains, it illuminated the marble with bluish glints polished to perfection.

The sculpture that had once been the man with dark hair and fatigued features was the perfect representation of sorrow.

 


	2. The tournament

Dean hurried along the crowded square.There were people from the most diverse lifestyles ranging from children cramming class to the highest dignitaries of the kingdom and all the different kind of people that this city harbored.

He walked toward the military enlistment building wrapped in his rustic cloak. The tall and thin boy who was his brother tried to catch up with him, bumping into the people around him. He was carrying most of their luggage while the eldest man was only carrying his bow and quiver and a small leather briefcase containing his personal papers.

Deeply focused, Dean re-read the rules written on the notice affixed to the door. It was a call from Lawrence's monarch, Crowley I, to young archers who wished to be part of the Royal Corps of Archers. Not only would they be provided with housing and food, but the competition that would take place on that same day they arrived in the capital would determine their new captain, since the previous holder of the position had been killed during training at the border of the kingdom of Mobile.

The royal councilors had tried to dissuade the king from this decision preferring to choose for the post the most qualified  among the archers already enlisted. But the spirit of the former gambler, who had been elevated to the rank of supreme ruler of the kingdom, had not allowed himself to be moved. He loved games even if he was not the most  fair competitor when he was competing.

The stone building  had already a long line in front of it crowded with all the young men who had come from every corner of the kingdom, attracted by the promise of a better life. Even if they did not win the competition, some of them would be housed in the royal lodgings for a period of time and would undergo a specific training, which could represent their entrance in the military profession. It held a certain prestige and paid reasonably well and young people could live more comfortably in the capital and provide for their family if necessary instead of staying in the countryside and devoting themselves to the hard life of a farmer.                

Dean was trained as a hunter since he was a little boy but he did not have this alternative. Their small piece of land had been auctioned to pay for the debts of their father when he died. He and his brother Samuel had few opportunities. The youngest was intelligent and wished ardently to study at one of the famed libraries of the kingdom, but without a regular source of income it was a dream almost impossible. In fact, this was one of the reasons why Dean had signed up for the competition. It was not the position he desired, but the money that would allow him to keep his brother and  pay for his studies.

The clerk who had filled out the form and signed him up for the tournament had given him a clay pendant in a thin leather strap that he was supposed to wear around his neck during the event. Dean slipped it into his waistcoat pocket and went out to meet with Sam who was looking longingly at some red apples that an old lady was offering in a basket. Dean took one of his last coins from the small suede bag he wore around his waist and paid for one of them. He himself salivated at the thought of a meat pie he had seen when they arrived at the fair but his meager funds would not allow him this indulgence. He hoped he could count on the archer's salary after the event.

At twenty six Dean Winchester was a rough young man whose hard life had forged a strong and determined character. His purpose in life had always been to take care of his younger brother who was the only person he loved in the world besides his mother who was deceased when he was very young.

This did not mean that he did not seek the satisfaction of the normal physical needs of a man his age as much as possible. If he indulged himself equally in the passion of beautiful women and attractive men it was his own business.  

At twenty two Sam was a thin man but not weak. Life in the woods with his father and brother had made him a resilient and shrewd man. With a natural curiosity, he had also learned much of nature, especially of medicinal plants, during his expeditions. He compiled his observations in a rustic book which he longed to be able to discuss about with some renowned scholar or even one of the curator monks of the libraries scattered throughout the kingdom.

Several pairs of eyes followed them as they walked towards the simple inn where they intended to stay, for they were very handsome despite their old garments and worn boots. One of them, belonging to a dark haired man in a stark military uniform, followed them until they disappeared into the crowd. The irises of a deep blue seemed to contract as they met the older brother's serious face, but his body had not moved at all. And if his chest had had a sudden start to the vision it was his personal matter.

 

The arena where the competition would take place was outside the walls so that it could accommodate all the spectators who had come from the farthest reaches of the kingdom.

A wooden platform at the higher point of the area, covered by an awning with the coat of arms of the kingdom should be the place where the monarch and his royal advisers – and other members of King Crowley's debauched court - would watch the tournament.  Due to his foggy past he had brought with him to the palace several people of dubious character, who shared the attributions of the government with some of the previous king counselors.

One of the royals who had best faced the transition from the reign of King Chuck III to Crowley I was Gabriel, the jester. He was already on the platform dressed in his bright colors looking for the best place to watch the competition. In a way he knew that, since the king would be so entertained by the tournament, he would be dismissed from his usual duties. In fact, under the mask of a clown, Gabriel was a man of keen intelligence and political vision that allowed him to influence the rulers. It had been that way with Chuck and it was like that with Crowley. In the midst of jokes and pranks he made insinuations that led to the rise or fall of courtiers and ministers. His sharp tongue and schemes were feared by everyone around him.

The crowd was already gathering around the large circle demarcated by a low wooden fence. On one side a large tent housed the contestants out of sight of the expectant audience. In the middle of the area, half a dozen targets were placed, ready for the first match. Later they would be moved or replaced by others of greater difficulty.

A blast of trumpets announced the arrival of the king. Clad in black velvet and silk he slowly ascended to the platform and then he gazed benevolently at the subjects who saluted him. Beside him the Queen Mother, also in a black dress adorned with jewels, looked with disgust at the noisy mob. Her long red hair fell over her shoulders in waves like a bright cloak. The inhabitants of Lawrence trembled at her sight as they believed her to be a ruthless sorceress.

After the king and his mother had sat on their respective thrones, the counselors, ministers, courtiers, and other military chiefs climbed to the platform and settled around them. Gabriel smiled from his privileged place when he saw his brother, the commander of the Royal Guard, approaching with the severe posture that was characteristic of him.

Dressed in his blue and silver uniform Castiel was an impressive sight. He was a haughty man with a penetrating stare. Not a few had succumbed to the Captain's blue eyes as he looked at them, glancing at the floor to escape the intimidating stare. But he was a just and correct military man who lived for the maintenance of peace and order as well as the personal protection of the monarch.               

Though he secretly despised the present king's ability to rule, Castiel had vowed to protect him with his own life and nothing would divert him from his  duties. He stood next to the ornate throne, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Another trumpet blast and the tent opened allowing rows of archers to  engage in the competition. There were more than a hundred, dressed in their simple clothes and wearing the clay medallions which showed their inscription number around their necks.

Castiel looked discreetly for the young man who had impressed him that morning. When he found him he suppressed a gasp at the determination that emanated from the handsome young man. He was part the third group of competitors and his face did not show the slightest apprehension. He seemed calm and in control of his emotions while his companions showed anxiety in their gestures.

The first group, composed of twenty four men, were placed in four rows of six to start the tournament. The one who among the six competitors in his line got the best result would be qualified for the next stage of the competition, while the others would be eliminated automatically and have their the clay medallions crushed under the heel of the judge's boot.

Soon four young men looking even more anxious than before returned to the tent, being replaced by those who composed the second group.

Crowley who was initially very excited started to look bored as the competition seemed too slow to him. But when the third group of competitors was called an undignified shriek escaped his mouth. Among the rough-looking men his eyes fell on Dean's handsome features. He let his gaze roam from the broad shoulders to the strong arms, narrow hips and finally to his slightly bowed legs. He licked his lips as if salivating in front of a fine delicacy.

The gesture did not go unnoticed to the Queen Mother and to his personal guard. Castiel swallowed hard at the realization of the king’s interest  in the man who had impressed him earlier. The thought of seeing the despicable man at his side next to the handsome young man for whom he had also been drawn was revolting. He now despised the monarch even more than before, if that was possible.

However  he sighed relieved when he saw that Dean had been the winner of his group, having been taken back to the tent to await the outcome of the two remaining groups of archers.               

 With his interest renewed by the presence of the rustic but attractive peasant among the finalists, the king ordered Gabriel to approach the throne. Under Castiel's anguished gaze the jester was asked to go to the tent and find out more about the man as discreetly as possible.

 After the first round the targets were pushed away several meters, making it more difficult for the remaining competitors, now rearranged in groups of five.

Dean was part of the third group again. He appreciated the efforts of the other participants even if he did not show any emotion. When his turn came, he was again classified by a shot at the center of the target.

Crowley stood up when he saw that the archer who had caught his attention had moved on to the next stage of the competition. Castiel, embarrassed by the indecorous demonstration, cleared his throat audibly.

For all the twenty archers who had passed to the second phase it was assured the incorporation to the Royal Corps of Archers. Among the five finalists however was the one who would be elevated to the position of Captain of the group.

 For the next round of the tournament, five gold hoop bracelets were suspended by fine leather strings to a raised beam, about a hundred and fifty meters far from where the competitors stood. At this point of the competition the archers would use long bows for more precise shots at farter targets.

When Sam handed the bow to Dean his hands shook but the older brother maintained his stoic stance and not even one of the muscles of his face contracted when facing the target. The arrow lauched from his bow should pass through the gold hoop in order to allow his advance to the final stage of the competition.

When the signal was given and the archers one by one shot at the targets only three of the arrows went through the hoops. The names of the three finalists were then uttered from the top of the platform and each of them, upon being called, bowed toward the king.

"Benny Lafitte, from the province of Luisiana."

The strong, easy-smiled man was applauded by the crowd and waved at them after greeting the ruler.

"Victor Henriksen, from the province of Aquila." The audience cheered the dark-skinned, shaved-headed competitor who came from the northernmost state of the kingdom.              

"Dean Winchester, from Kansas ."

He remained impassive even when the crowd cheered for him, focused on the challenge he still would have to face. He was relieved that he had, so far, secured a position in the army so he would be able to provide for his small family. He believed that the rank of Captain of the Archers would be won by the archer from Aquila. He would do his best, though.

The targets of last challenge of the day were brought in: three gold rings adorned with sapphires were suspended on the same beam of the previous round, which had been set at the distance of two hundred and fifty meters.

The three arrows would be thrown at the same time and they should pull the rings off the beam. Given the signal, the three archers pointed toward the targets. The crowd waited in silence to shout the name or the winner.

The anxious king had long since left the throne and stood by the balustrade of the platform, Castiel having accompanied him as it was his duty.

When two of the arrows carried the rings with them, the spectators applauded.

The master of ceremonies announced the names of the two last competitors:

"Victor Henriksen and Dean Winchester, the ultimate challenge will determine which of the two will have the honor of being called Captain of the Royal Archer Corps of Lawrence."

The beam where the last target would be attached was moved to its final location and the emerald ring that would be used was removed from the box where it had been stored just waiting to be the tiebreaker.

There was a rush at the platform, for the king had summoned one of the judges to his presence and spoke to him hastily. The gray-haired man then nodded and Crowley, excited, spoke directly to the audience:

"Two skilled and valiant archers came to this final round and demonstrated their dexterity. Which one will win the prestigious post of Captain? "

He took off a heavy gold ring with an impressive faceted ruby from his middle finger and lifted it in plain view of the crowd.

"The new Captain will have the honor of personally returning my favorite ring!"               

This new challenge caused a stir in the audience, who cheered even louder.

The beam was transferred to the distance of three hundred meters and the royal ring was then attached to it.

Side by side the two archers waited for the sign that would allow them to launch their arrows. Victor had white feathers at the end of his arrow while Dean's was finished with the brown feathers of a characteristic bird from Kansas woods.

 A short blast of trumpet and the two arrows flew toward the jewel. For seconds that seemed hours the long spears crossed the air, the silence palpable in the arena.

The heavy ring was taken from the end of the leather strap and laid beyond the beam, the rim pierced by one of the arrows that were stuck in the ground.

The judge standing next to the archers walked slowly to the spot increasing the anxiety of those present.

He arched his body and tore the two arrows off the ground. He studied the result and turned, an arrow in each hand, the tips hidden in his fists. He walked back to the competitors and stood in front of them, savoring for a moment the fact that he was the only one who knew the final result.

Finally he lifted one of his arms. The owner of the arrow with brown feathers had been the winner.

He then opened his hand to show the king his ring around the arrowhead that belonged to Dean.

At last a small smile appeared on the lips of the winner. He looked for his brother, who was beaming at him.

Victor bowed to him and offered his hand to congratulate him for the victory.

Dean was handed the heavy ring. The judge instructed him to go up to the platform where the King was.

 He advanced with determined strides under the applause and enthusiastic shouts of the audience. He climbed the steps and was soon guided to the presence of the King.

Desire was frankly exposed in the monarch's features as he addressed the champion:

"Dean Winchester, I congratulate you on the victory." He then raised his hand for Dean to deposit the ring. As soon as he received it he returned it to the finger where it belonged.

"Captain Castiel Novak will be honored to bestow you the rank of Captain of the Royal Archers Corps."

Castiel took a step toward Dean, who finally looked at him. In his hands there was a long bow decorated with Lawrence's coat of arms and an equally impressive quiver.

As if under an irresistible magnetic force the eyes of the two met and remained locked for a few moments, until the Captain of the Guard moved, handing the humbly clad man the symbols of his new position.

Dean took a deep breath. Throughout the competition he had remained calm and even when the king had addressed him, he had been able to remain focused. But one single stare of the Royal Guard Captain had the power to take away his self control.

Applause erupted again in the crowd and Dean turned to it and with his right hand raised the newly received bow, thanking the support of the people whom he was to help protect from there on.


	3. In the Captain's Honor

After the  tournament, Dean was led by one of the guards to the headquarters of the Royal Arch Corps. There he received the first directions from one of the cadet instructors and was directed to his lodgings. It was a simple room  fit for only one person.  However he would be able to pay for a decent accommodation for his brother somewhere else in the city with his forthcoming salary.

He was also given the standard Captain's uniform and the gala uniform, which he  should wear that night in the festivities that would take place at the Royal Palace in his honor. He was informed that he was entitled to an escort and immediately thought of Sam. After talking with the instructor he got a squire's uniform so his brother would not need to be ashamed of his tattered clothes. Maybe he might even become a real squire, if he wanted to, but Dean doubted that.

A ball would be held in a few hours and Dean left the barracks to find Sam at the inn. He found him lying on his bed reading a thick volume he had never seen.

"Hi, Sammy! What book is that?" he asked throwing the garment he had brought on the bed he previously occupied .

"I met a girl today after you left and she offered to lend me one of her books."

"A girl? When did you get so skilled in talking to girls?"

"It's nothing like that, Dean... Charlie is a very nice person and I do not think of her in the way you  are impling. Besides, she has a girlfriend. "

"I should have suspected so. My brother's going to be an old bachelor, I bet. Someday you’ll be a myopic monk with a long white beard holed up in a dusty library... "

Sam glared at him, but he could not get mad at Dean, not when he was the hero of the day and a ball would be thrown in his honor.

"You're going to the ball with me, Sam. I got this uniform for you. I hope it's not too short."

"I'll be your date? You mock me but still need me to go to the ball with you?" he said, rolling his eyes to make his disappointment clear.

"Well, I ..." He began to explain that he  did not had time to meet anyone, although his mind immediately presented him with the flashing image of Captain Castiel Novak. He choked and tried to go on without much success: "... I do not know anyone yet. That's why I'm stuck with you, little brother."

Sam wanted to continue the teasing but he saw something  that passed for a moment over Dean's face, something he did not think he should play with. Dean had met someone, but he did not want to talk about it yet.

"Maybe during the ball some Countess will look at me... Or even a Duke ... I can dream, can’t I?" He tried to deflect the subject realizing at last that his brother had already dropped that topic. "Meet me at the gates of the Palace at eight o'clock. And comb your hair!"

He walked back to the door intending to return to his lodgings and take a bath before putting on his new uniform.

Sam called him back softly:

"I'm very proud of you, Dean. You deserve the best and I hope you can be happy here. "

Dean lowered his head for he did not know how to deal with compliments and emotional declarations of that kind. He cleared his throat and nodded to his brother before leaving the roomand closing the door behind him.

A tub full of hot water and a clean white towel were waiting for him. Even an assistant had been appointed out to help him, a very thin boy a little younger than Sam.

"Garth at your service, Captain!" he  presented himself with a bow and a smile that he intended to be respectful but still demonstrate his warm and frank personality. Dean immediately liked him. However, he did not want him to help him bathe even if he had been ordered to. Dean asked him to leave and only return if called.

He sank into the bubbly water and let the weariness of the long day fade. He remembered the tournament and was still a bit surprised that he had beaten the Aquila's competitor. Finally the fact that he would be a captain began to settle and he felt tense. He did not think he could do that. It would be shameful if he eventually had to be removed from his post for incompetence.

He rested his face in his hands and let the preoccupation take over. All the control he had before, when he handled the bow, escaped him now when he remembered the haughtiness and impeccable posture of the other captain he had met that day.

Castiel Novak was what you could expect from a Captain. His presence exuded authority, and his gaze was disturbing. Dean remembered how he felt when those eyes  fixed on his. No one would dare question his command.

Dean had always lived in relative isolation, living only with Sam and some other peasants. Therefore he had yet to see if he had any quality to be a leader. Maybe he could ask the other captain for some advice when  the opportunity present itself? No, he couldn’t do that. It was an express admission that he felt inferior and incapable of his present position.

On the other hand, the possibility of approaching Castiel seemed appealing to him. Captain Novak was a handsome man with a slender figure and angular features that immediately pleased Dean. At the thought of it, his body began to act on its own and he smiled. Castiel was a really handsome man. He had the physical type that attracted him, Dean was not going to deny it.

But even if they lived in a country where homosexual relations  were accepted since the reign of King Michael and his consort Lucifer, there was no guarantee that Novak would also be attracted to men.

Seeing that the sun was setting outside his window, he stood up and began to dry offseeing the result of those thoughts still clearly noticeable in his body. But while dressing in the dark red velvet tunic and black tights of the Corps of Archers, the pleasant sensation  was totally eliminated by the apprehension of being the guest of honor at a banquet followed by a royal ball. He barely managed to tie up his long shiny boots and when he began to struggle with the clasp of the silk cloak that completed his gala uniform, so he had to call Garth to help him.

Sam was waiting for him at the palace gates and whistled when he saw his brother approach. Dean was really elegant in his gala uniform and his figure was perfect for an army commander.

Dean  patted him on the shoulder affectionately, and they  both walked through the yard full of beautiful carriages and up the stone steps to the open door of the palace. As they entered the room, a trumpet sounded unexpectedly and the name "Captain Dean Winchester"  was announced. Every person in the room, clad in their most sumptuous attire,  turned toward him. He was received with an enthusiastic round of applause.

A proud Sam smiled and that was all the congratulation he needed. With a tilt of his head he signaled for the older brother to take the prominent position he deserved. He watched him move among the people toward the throne platform, where he was led by one of the stewards.

Women in their velvet and brocade dresses trimmed with lace embroidered in silk threads and covered in impressive jewels openly gave him their attention. Some men, imposing in their gala outfits, also gave him bold looks. Dean began to gain confidence and to reciprocate attention with smiles and little nods. Even though his career as Captain would probably not be very long, that night he was a hero, celebrated for his achievement. He  even begun to think about returning a wink he  received from an elegant courtier when he came face to face with Captain Novak.

His newly built composure collapsed before the presence of the other man. He looked even starker, if that was possible. But when  Castiel met Dean's alarmed eyes, his features softened and with a smile he offered his hand to congratulate him again on his victory.

 Although still slightly shaken Dean was invited to accompany him to the vicinity of the throne, which at that moment was still vacant. The king had the prerogative to arrive at his leisure.

Little by little Novak's presence went from intimidating to comforting as they talked about trivial matters. Dean was grateful to his colleague for treating him like an equal, even though his manners were clearly the result of a totally different upbringing. Castiel Novak must have been raised in court to occupy a position such as he occupied and behaved naturally in that environment. Dean was a rude, uneducated hunter who had been raised to the position only by his skill with the bow, having little more to offer.

Before he could get down with his own negative thoughts, Captain Novak addressed him in a low voice, but did not stop smiling:

"Captain Winchester, this court is full  with people who would do anything to occupy the position entrusted to you today. Your deed will be remembered for a long time. Do not allow yourself to feel inadequate when the king himself admires you and presented you with the title by merit. I see great integrity and idealism in you, and the kingdom needs more men like that. Lift your head and smile. Rest assured that you can count on me on any difficulty. Promise me that you will look for me in case of any problems or doubts. "

Dean looked up at the other captain's face and saw sincerity. He nodded wordlessly and his lips parted in an honest smile such as his colleague had asked of him.

But Novak had already returned to his usual serious posture, a mask he wore in public, Dean realized. After looking around him as if to make sure there were no threats nearby, he turned his face back to Dean and winked subtly at him.

His chest warmed with that gesture, and Dean thought he might dare feel attracted to Castiel Novak if only for that night.

 

The arrival of the king was a moment of commotion. He presented himself in magnificent robes, black as always but completely covered in gold embroidered motifs as the fashion dictated, he knew, in the far-off court of Spain. The crown on his head was the most spectacular object of the royal jewelry collection, worn only on very special occasions or when meeting with foreign leaders.

Dean should have been flattered when these facts were pointed out to him by Castiel, but the effect was the opposite. He felt like being the recipient of undeserved attention.

Looking at Novak, who was still nearby in his guardian posture, he noticed that he had also perceived Crowley's overtly seductive attitude towards him. The new Captain of the Archers could not demonstrate his displeasure at being courted as shamelessly in public but Dean held his stance, as Captain Novak had instructed him.

For a moment, however, he had glimpsed at contempt the other captain felt for the king and the outrage he felt for Dean to be treated like an object, a prize that could be enjoyed by him as if it had come to belong to him for having received a military position.

King Crowley showed his fury  as the signal for the guests to sit down for the banquet was given at that exact time by the chief butler.  In a moment he found himself surrounded by his aids, who took the ends of his long cloak and urged him to the dining hall leaving Dean behind.

A light touch on Dean’s back made him turn. Novak was at his side and his hand against him told him to follow the crowd. But the intimacy of that gesture gave him another indication. It was as if Novak wanted to protect him from the royal advances. Dean found himself torn between the humiliation of having to be protected by another man like a damsel in distress and the flattery of being the recipient of the attention of such distinguished man.

His heart told him to accept the positive sentiment while he walked toward the dinner hall in the company of the other captain.

Dean was the subject of some flattering speeches, first by the king and then by some of the more vocal ministers who wished to demonstrate their unrestricted support for the real decisions. He was seated on the right side of the monarch, a place of honor at the banquet table but he occasionally let his gaze wander to where Castiel sat, a few seats ahead, instead of paying attention to the excessive praise he was given.

After a toast, the meal was served and Dean was surprised by the quantity and variety of dishes, many of them quite exotic. Crowley had given orders that nothing was to be spared for the banquet in honor of the archer.

From where he was sitting he could see Sam with the other guests who seemed to be entertained in conversation with several illustrious people. Dean did not know them but knowing how his brother could be articulated and well versed in some matters they should be intellectuals or teachers. It was Dean's turn to be proud of his brother. Sam had a bright future ahead of him, and maybe the position Dean had reached could work for the plans he had. One more reason to be successful, he thought apprehensively. But his concern subsided a little when he remembered Novak's advice.

After the meal, the orchestra began to play and the guests returned to the great hall, illuminated by huge crystal chandeliers. The couples began to dance a minuet and Dean allowed himself to be entertained by the participants' perfect movements. He felt again completely out of his element. He had never learned how to dance and was definitely not a courtier.

"Would you like to dance, Captain?" A deep voice asked behind him, and as he turned around he met the friend he had made that day. It was clearly a joke, since despite all the acceptance of the kingdom to same-sex couples, the dances were still composed of traditional couples.

"Even if I wanted to, Captain Novak, I would not know how." He simply replied.

"There's a lot to learn, Captain Winchester." Although the phrase could be interpreted as an allusion to his ignorance, the tone in which it was uttered made it look more like an offer than a criticism. "Some of these things I can teach you if you are interested."

"Is the minuet among them?" the freckled man teased, flirting openly.

"If you want, I know the steps and I could give you some lessons," he replied, his blue eyes showing a warm glint unknown to the archer until that moment.

Dazzled Dean realized that the attraction he felt for the other man was reciprocated in equal measure. And that, unlike the King's attention, seemed authentic and flattering. Dean was tempted to lean over and kiss him right there in the middle of the hall.

Castiel must have noticed something in his expression, for he invited him to accompany him to the room where the vast collection of weapons and armor was displayed, a curiosity much appreciated by visitors.

They walked among the guests and occasionally were greeted with respect by them. The two men climbed quietly the curving staircase that led to the upper floor where was the room they were supposed to visit.

The doors were huge, made of carved dark wood   brightly polished. Novak put his hand on the wrought iron knob and opened a gap wide enough for them to enter the room. Just as Dean came in and before he could even look around, he found himself pressed against the door and Castiel was standing in front of him.

He seemed hesitant, though his eyes showed his desire for the new Captain of the Archers. He seemed to fear that his advances were undue or unwanted.

Dean put a hand on the back of Castiel's neck and pulled his face toward his, giving him the permission he needed. Their lips met, initially slow and chaste, and gradually, more and more daring. The two men broke apart panting a few minutes later, their faces flushed and Novak's hair disheveled by Dean’s fingers.

A deep laugh emerged from Dean's chest and Castiel smiled fondly at him. They hugged, feeling the warmth of each other's body. Before they resumed kissing Dean paused for a moment and feeling bold asked:

"Do you know any place where we can have some privacy after the ball?"

Castiel's eyes widened, but he nodded.

"Meet me at the stables."

It was Dean's turn to widen his eyes.

"No, Dean, that's not  the idea. There is a property of my family that lies a few miles away and that will give us the privacy we need. We will take two horses from the royal stable."

With the question settled many other kisses were shared before they thought it was convenient to return to the company of the others.

For both of them, the ball seemed extremely long, now that what they planned for afterwards bore the promise of indescribable pleasures.


	4. Discovery

Castiel had to stay at the palace while the king was at the ballroom. Dean also had to stay for the simple fact of being the guest of honor. Luckily the monarch  consumed a huge amount of wine and soon could no longer stay awake. Before the situation was further embarrassing for the king, one of his most faithful ministers  made him retire.

The ball quickly died after that. Castiel accompanied the king to his quarters and would return soon.

 Dean looked for his brother and found him in a room talking to two beautiful young women. Sam introduced them to Dean as Charlie and Gilda. The women bowed to the Captain, smiling, expressing the honor of being able to meet him. Dean, feeling embarrassed, rubbed the back of his neck and thanked them somewhat awkwardly.

 Sam told him that Charlie was responsible for the restoration of books in the Central Library of the kingdom and that she  was the one who lent him the book he was reading earlier. Gilda was her fiancée and a student of magic and astronomy.

  Dean was delighted to learn that Sam was already getting involved in academic matters but he needed to say goodbye to his brother and tell him that he had no intention of returning to the archers' quarters directly for he was going to celebrate his victory somewhere else.

 Dean apologized and walked away pulling his brother by the arm . As soon as they were out of reach of the girls ears Sam gave him a wicked smile:

 "Countess or Duke?" he asked.

 Uncomfortable with the question, Dean responded quickly, not very convincingly:

 "Commoner. That's what I could get. "

 "Do not give me that Dean. If the king's eyes told me anything, you could be in the royal suite right now... You don’t have to tell me who it is. But I hope you know what you're doing. "

"I hope  so too, Sam."

Leaving his brother, he walked as inconspicuously as possible to the stables and hid in the shadows eagerly waiting for Castiel.

 The wait was not long  when he heard footsteps approaching. He peered and saw Castiel looking around for him. When he saw Dean he signaled for him to stay where he was. In a matter of moments he came back pulling two horses through the reins. They walked in silence for a few more meters before mounting. They went through a narrow road in the woods and fields in the direction to the Guard Captain's family home.

 Dean had imagined a large, sumptuous stone-walled house as fit for a court member. But it was not what he found. A simple wooden house surrounded by trees was located by a stream. Castiel had no noble origins, as he had thought. He really was a commoner as he told Sam, and that made him feel a bit more relaxed.

They dismounted and Castiel instructed him to wait right there and went to tie the animals in the back of the small estate. After a few minutes he returned, opening the front door from the inside and inviting Dean in. He had a lamp in his hand which he put on a table and in the dim light of it Castiel looked even more attractive. He looked younger and less intimidating. He looked just like a man. And that was what Dean needed. He needed a man who wanted him for who he was and not for social standing or other trifles.

  That thought ignited another wave of desire for Castiel within him. Castiel had already stripped himself of his tunic and presented himself only in his trousers, boots and a white undershirt with the collar undone.

 Dean, guided by an irresistible impulse, laid his thirsty mouth to the hollow of Castiel's throat that was exposed by the shirt. His lips kissed and sucked the hot skin, leaving a mark. The other man sighed and moaned, the exciting sounds quickly drowned by Dean's wet kisses.

 Staggering back, Castiel leaned against a wall. Dean felt himself spinning and within seconds his back was against the rough surface. Agile hands unfastened the golden clasp of the cloak and then pushed the red tunic off his shoulders, revealing the freckled skin of his torso. Then soft fingers ran down his chest, unashamedly, toward the row of gold hair that came down from his navel. It was Dean's turn to moan loudly feeling uninhibited by the isolation of the house in which they were.

 Castiel untied the drawstring of the tights, caressing the rigid member he could feel beneath the fabric. Dean  wanted to close his eyes because of the caresses but he could not help looking at the man who seduced him effortlessly.         

He watched as Castiel knelt down in front of him and with one last look on his face placed his hot and wet mouth on his hard cock. Dean was not inexperienced but the touch made him feel like he was living it for the first time.

Before he could reach the climax, Castiel stood up and kissed Dean’s lips again. Picking up the lantern he pulled Dean by the hand down a narrow corridor leading to a room with a large bed.

Dean wanted to see the other Captain's body. So he took his time, undressing him slowly. He removed his long black boots first, then his shirt and finally his blue velvet pants, just tight enough to expose Castiel’s masculine body.

Dean, felling excited at the sight before him, kissed Castiel once more and shoved him gently onto the mattress. The sheets were fresh and lavender scented reminding him of a sunny morning. The owner of that house had little time to plan it but he still got someone to come there beforehand and set the house up for them. He was flattered by the care his partner had shown to make that experience perfect.

However he thought that if instead they were on the hard floor of the stable, it still could be considered as perfect if he would be in the same company. Castiel was the most attractive man he had ever met and his gestures were reverent as if Dean really mattered.

There was a strange feeling inside his chest which he did not know how to name, since he hadn’t known it before. It was both beautiful and terrifying. In the dimness of the room, looking at the face of the Royal Guard Captain, Castiel Novak, he realized that he was in love. Just like that, without any warning. In such a short time, he had been falling prisoner of love. He always considered himself incapable of loving anyone but his family, but now he knew he has been wrong. He was hopelessly in love with the gentle man who was panting in his arms.

Before he could cower and move away from the soft and sweet lips of the older man,  he heard an unusual statement :

 "Dean Winchester ..." whispered Castiel, "... I suspect ... no, I'm sure ... I'm totally in love with you. What supernatural power do you have to make me love you when I have been for so long immune to love? "

 A limpid and pure laugh came from Dean's heart. He loved Castiel and he loved him back. He could never hope for it and there he was, completely lost, loving a man he had only known for a few hours.

 He resumed the caresses, touching the body of the other captain in all the ways that his fantasy dictated. Castiel accepted and reciprocated, arousing in Dean the most delicious sensations. Finally, when it was no longer possible to wait, they intensified the caresses to the point in which both of them moaned in pleasure.

They descended from their heightened state in a tight embrace while their mouths proclaimed vows of love and fidelity.

  When they finally looked at each other again and the desire was satiated for the time being, there was only the sound of their hearts beating in unison. They felt, for the first time, a taste of eternity.

 Before dawn could come and bring them another ordinary day they enjoyed the moment not wishing to let that unusual night go.

 While leaning on one elbow, Dean stroked Castiel's dark hair with a soft smile playing on his lips. The intimacy that was new he knew was caused more by feeling than attraction.

 With his body still relaxed by the sweet sensations and lying on his back, Castiel said in a low voice and with an affectionate tone:

 "Dean ... I would give anything to spend the rest of my days here in this house with you. If you know how to cast a spell, as I suspect, could you cast one right now so we could never part again? "

 "Spell? Do you believe those things?"

 "How else can I explain what happened to us? And yes, I do believe those things. I have seen things in this realm for which I have no other explanation. Just wait and you will see..."

 "Are you trying to scare me?" He laughed softly before continuing: "If I could cast a spell, it would make us stay together forever... That's all I want."

 Castiel raised his head so that their lips could meet again.

  "We'll find a way," Castiel said confidently.

Dean mounted the borrowed horse and followed Castiel at a discreet distance. He led him to the Archers' Quarters, where he would live from there on.

The Captain of the Guard had his rooms in the Royal Palace to where he would  return before they noticed he was not at his post.

The farewell was short and simple.They already had said all that mattered for each other. A nod would have to be enough. They did not intend to keep their agreement secret, but as the king had shown interest in Dean, they planned to give it some time. 

They parted, their scent still on their skin, their ineffable contact on their lips.

 


	5. Military protocol

Dean had no problems entering the barracks and he was asleep within minutes. He had to get up in a few hours and begin to learn about his assignments as Captain. One of the cadet instructors had told him that in the morning they would have a meeting to discuss the most basic questions.

Castiel entered through a side door of the castle which led to his room by tortuous paths on the lower floor of the royal apartments. He was near his room when a door opened and someone seemed to be leaving. The Captain hid behind a column by the wall hoping that the person would go away without noticing him.

There were some muffled laughter and then light footsteps came toward him.

There was nothing to do but face the unwanted encounter which wasn’t really a problem, he thought. The person would only know that he had returned very late from some clandestine meeting like so many after the ball the night before. There was no way the person could know that he had been with the newest celebrity of the kingdom and that what had begun between them was not a passing thing.

As he straightened up he resumed walking toward his room when he realized who the other night owl was:

"Cassie!" The man exclaimed. "I finally see you enjoying life, my dear brother!" Gabriel had his eyes sparkling with amusement and curiosity. His room was in another wing of the palace but he had been probably visiting one of the Queen Mother's ladies.

"Gabriel, please, this is no time or place to talk about it. I need to pull myself together." he said quietly moving forward and trying to escape the inquisitive look of his brother. But Gabriel was not planning to let him go so easily:

"We can talk in your room if you want. I need to know who's the person who had my great brother in her bed... Or would it be _his_ bed? Who is the lucky one?” He asked wiggling his eyebrows.

Castiel could be impassive when confronted by anyone but Gabriel knew him well enough not to notice the subtle change in his expression.

"A dashing man, I see. Well, to each his own..." he replied smiling, already pushing Castiel into the room in order to enter too.

As Castiel began to take off his cloak and tunic, Gabriel had sat on a wooden ark under the window.

"Are you going to tell me who he is or should I guess?" Gabriel’s eyes widened as Castiel’s shirt fell to the floor and a mark on the commander's neck was evident. "I see you were lucky tonight, little brother! Was it ... the Duke of Louisville? He always had eyes only for you, Cassie. Married to that horrible... "

"Gabe, please... I need to rest. I have an early training."

"Alright, alright ... Do not tell me. I have my own methods. I'll find out, you'll see. "

"Why does that interest you so much?" Castiel asked annoyed.

"I need to know because I care about you, my brother. You may be Captain of the Guard but you are not aware of half the intrigue of this court. I hope you have been wise in choosing a partner. I would hate to see you involved in some scandal that would make you lose the job for which you worked so hard. "

"Thank you for the concern, but it is excessive. I'm an adult and I know how to be discreet."

"I hope so. Sleep well then… I hope you dream about your little angel... or devil!" he said, opening the door with a mocking smile.

Gabriel left and Castiel sat on the bed thinking that the king would be enraged if he knew who had spent the night with him. He should be concerned. But when he touched his neck and felt Dean’s mark he forgot all the rest.

After the archers' meeting Dean realized he would really need to make an effort to perform his new duties. Some activities were simple, like evaluating and training the cadets in different situations of combat and in the use of the different types of bows. On the other hand, the questions of war tactics were totally unknown to him. He also needed to deepen his knowledge of military protocol and hierarchy. He remembered Castiel immediately. The other captain offered to help him even before what happened between them.

He thought he should do it officially, though, since they wanted to keep the state of his personal relationship a secret, at least for now.

He asked one of the older officers:

"Commander Gables, I will need your help studying military strategy and history. I would need you to lend me some books. I will study hard to justify the confidence that the king has placed in me. As for the matters of military protocol and conduct, Captain Novak kindly offered to assist me. "

"Novak is the perfect man for that, Captain." Dean tried not to think of other aspects in which Castiel was also perfect. "If he is willing, he will honor his word. Since I need some time to request the books for your instruction, I suggest you go and talk to Captain Novak first. "

"Do you have any idea where I could meet him at this hour?"

"I believe he is conducting daily training in the Guard Barracks which are located next to the Royal Palace. He rarely misses a chance to personally instruct the soldiers. "

"Thank you, Commander," he said, bowing and realizing that the other officer was the one who should have done it since Dean outranked Gables. Apologizing for the reversal of the protocol he smiled and said:

 "I hope Captain Novak will tolerate my lack of knowledge."

He walked through the busy streets of the capital of the Kingdom of Lawrence to where he would meet his partner. He showed up at the barracks door and was soon led to the training area.

Groups of soldiers were training with swords, divided into pairs. Castiel was standing with his hands behind his back on a small raised platform. His uniform was impeccable as always and his gaze was highly focused.

Dean let himself stay and took the opportunity to observe the man he had fallen in love with. He was still a bit surprised by how quickly everything had happened. Perhaps it was a case of what people called ‘love at first sight’. Or maybe ‘destiny’. He had never believed either one, but he had to reevaluate his convictions from that moment on.

One of the soldiers in one of the ranks lifted the shield but the maneuver was not fast enough to stop his opponent's blow. He fell to the ground and a gash opened on his right arm. An impressive amount of blood poured from the wound.

Castiel left the platform and crouched next to the injured cadet. Dean, surprised by the violence of the strike, also strode forward. The head of the guards had already checked the wound and put pressure on the ruptured artery. In a moment the victim was taken to the doctor but not before smearing the captain's uniform with his blood.

Dean, who was nearby, heard when Castiel ordered the curious cadets who had gathered around to return to training. Quickly, the only one left standing idly in the yard was Dean and Castiel looked up from the stain on his tunic to find the green eyes which were clearly trying to hide an affectionate look. They both knew that it would be completely inadequate there.

"Good morning, Captain Winchester," Novak said, with a bow, quite formal and serious as one might expect.

"Good morning, Captain Novak. I see you're busy. I came to talk about something but I do not think it's a good time... "

"By all means, accompany me to my office so I can change my uniform and talk. Commander Ash, take up the activity until my return. "

Dean followed, looking around. None of the soldiers he encountered seemed to have the slightest interest in what he had come to do there although some of them saluted him with a smile because he was the champion of the tournament the day before.

Castiel led him to his private office. It was a small room on the second floor. There was a table and a chair, some of the captain’s weapons and spare uniforms, some documents neatly stacked on a shelf. On the opposite wall to the door there were two windows as narrow as lance holes.

Dean watched as the other captain closed the door, bolted it and immediately removed the blood-stained tunic inadvertently showing him his bare chest. The action has not meant to be sensual but it had a big impact on the man who was its only witness.

Dean breathed audibly when he saw the slender, strong lines of the other man's torso, for he had the opportunity to watch him only in the dim light of a lamp. Castiel could not help but smile. He walked over to the table where there was a bowl and a porcelain jug to wash his hands. Standing with his back to Dean and lowering his torso, Castiel unintentionally presented the other with a vision of his backside covered only by his tight breeches.

Dean could not resist. Not even a second passed as he stood behind Castiel. Dean’s hands slid up the other man’s thighs. It was Castiel's turn to take a deep breath. When Dean's calloused hands reached his back, a shiver ran down his spine and he turned to meet Dean’s lips with his own.

Even knowing that it was not the place or the time for it, they could not help it and the kiss was deep and passionate. Castiel gently pushed Dean's shoulders away from him before things evolved into an embarrassing situation.

Dean took a step back. His face was equally flushed of arousal and shame. He could not expose Castiel to any kind of public humiliation.

"Forgive me, Castiel," he said, lowering his eyes as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

But Castiel was smiling.

"I was the one who kissed you, Dean. But we can’t do that. At least... not now."

Dean smiled, basking in the warm look Castiel gave him.

"When, then?" He dared to ask.

"We need to be quiet. We will use my house when we can, when our time off coincide or when..." he swallowed "...we couldn’t stay away from each other anymore."

"I still don’t know when I’ll be off duty, but I'll tell you as soon as I know ... Speaking of which, I really have a professional reason to be here, Cas." From his mouth the newly coined nickname came out casually and Castiel heart swelled with the gesture. "You offered to help me and I ... I need it. Could you instruct me on the issues of military protocol and conduct? Commander Gables will help me on the other subjects.”

"Well, to begin with, what we did a few minutes ago was completely against proper military protocol," he said smiling. He could not contain himself when he had Dean’s warm presence so close to him. "But yes, count on me. However, we will need the permission of the Minister of Defense who will set a timetable for us to study the codes of military conduct."

Dean rejoiced, anticipating the many times when they could see each other. In addition, other kind of encounters would be much easier being in constant contact.

"Well, we must return to our commitments, Captain Winchester. I will submit the requisition to Minister Balthazar and I will send a message as soon as I get an answer. Until then, I hope everything goes well. "

"Thank you, Captain Novak. I will look forward to your communication.” It was not going to be easy but they had to keep a ‘façade’ and it was good to start practicing.

Dean headed for the door and unlocked it. But before he could let go off the doorknob, Castiel took his hand and held it there. The metal mesh he wore around his neck had moved during the heat of the kiss. Castiel made sure the Royal Archer’s coat of arms was properly placed in the center of Dean’s chest.

Dean thanked him with a smile, pulling away a strand of dark hair that had fallen on Castiel’s forehead, another result of the gesture of affection they sharedHe concluded in a whisper, "I love you."

Castiel blinked his heart pounding in his chest. "I love you too, Dean," he murmured.

Castiel was sitting in front of his old friend, Minister Balthazar, who made a point of speculating on the news as always. He had returned to the kingdom that morning, the following day of the tournament and the ball.

"I don’t understand…these things always happen when I'm away. The king should consider my schedule when organizing his events ... " He said angrily to the old army companion. They had come from the same province having known each other since they were young boys.

"How do you know he did not set the date just because you were absent?" Castiel replied jokingly, an aspect only the most intimate people knew.

"I do not doubt it! Well, I do not know anything else now that ... " looking around before continuing in whispers "... the queen mother came to court to control her son. "

"Careful, Zar. Gabriel warned me today about the intrigues at court. Be careful, my friend. "

"I've been trying to keep myself safe. And I know I can talk to you. Well, what is the purpose of your visit besides making me jealous about the tournament and the grand ball I’ve missed? "

"I'd like you to allow me a few hours to instruct the new Captain of the Archers on protocol matters."

"Castiel ... the king never intended to make the tournament winner an effective Captain ... It was clearly a demagogic measure. And you know how he loves spectacles... Do you think you should waste your time with a simpleton who will soon return to the hole where he came?

"I have faith in Captain Winchester. He is a very skilled archer and he wants to learn. Give me a few days and then we'll evaluate his progress. If he takes over the post for good, he'll be an asset to the kingdom, don’t you think? "

"Alright then I authorize you to instruct him. How much time will it take? "

"I believe that we should begin with daily meetings since he must stay abreast of the demands of his office as soon as possible. An hour a day, taken out from my lunch break."

"Yes, yes ... if you are willing to give up your personal time, who am I to..." his friend stopped talking for a second and gave him an inquisitive look. Balthazar knew him well enough to know that working on a private schedule was normal for Castiel but something was off. Castiel, however, remained impenetrable and the minister dismissed the feeling as unfounded "... disapprove? The Crown is grateful for your efforts to go beyond your duty. "

He wrote the authorization on a parchment, signed it and passed it to the hands of his old friend.

 Castiel left the office and went directly to the barracks of the Archers, determined to transmit the good news in person.

"At lunch?" It was the question Dean asked him first.

"Is there any problem?"

"No, yes ... when will we eat?"

Castiel laughed. "There's plenty of time for both, Dean."

 "Um ..."  Dean seemed not so sure. "If you say so..."

Castiel was looking at him, not knowing if he was serious or joking. And he remembered that in spite of all their love vows, in fact, they knew little about each other.

"Dean, give me a chance. We can enjoy the first hour of our recess to have lunch together and get to know each other better. The second hour we will use for your instruction. How does the arrangement look now? "

"Better, much better," he replied trying not to smile.

"We'll start tomorrow, then."


	6. Royal desire

Dean was visited by his brother at the end of the day. He found a place to stay and even had the possibility of getting a job at the library. Charlie was responsible for both.

"Gilda's mother had a spare room and Charlie talked her into renting it to me. She's a nice lady, you'll like her ... She's an excellent cook! "

"Well, I guess I need to go see where my little brother is going to live ... Just for the sake of security, of course."

Sam laughed and looked at Dean, curiosity taking in his features.

"You look really good. Can I assume things are going well here? "

"Well, I think so. It's going to be difficult but I'll be able to learn what it takes to be a Captain. "

"If you need anything, Charlie can get you some books."

"Thanks for the offer. If I need something I'll tell you. I found some teachers to help me at the moment. "

"One of them... would be the Captain of the Guard?"

Dean took a deep breath. How did Sam know?

"Yes, how did you know?" He asked, a little anxious.

"I saw you two talking at the ball. He seems to be a good man. "

"He is and he is going to help me with the study of military conduct. He’ll instruct me at lunch. "

“He must be an excellent instructor because I've never seen you compromise your eating schedule... Ever!"

He laughed pleased because he saw in his brother's face more than he wanted to tell him.

"I'll do what it takes, Sam. It was the available time, what can I do? I didn’t accept it without a protest."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

It was Garth, the cadet who served as his ordinance, carrying a parchment with the royal seal.

Dean thanked him and opened it. He stood there for a moment, too surprised to say anything.

"What is it, Dean?"

"The king ... he invited me to dine with him tomorrow night."

 

When Dean entered the Guard headquarters the next day he didn’t feel very well. All the joy he had felt in knowing he could see Castiel every day had been replaced by the apprehension of dinner with the king.

Dean told Castiel about the invitation as they sat down to eat.

Castiel frowned. That was not good. Dean noticed the concerned expression and asked:

"What am I going to do, Cas? Me? And the king? I will not know how to talk or to behave... "

"Is that your concern? Dean, he is a man of the people. He was chosen by King Chuck among his subjects... He is not a refined man. "

 "So you don’t think I should worry?"

"On the contrary, you should worry for sure. The king watched you with a definitely predatory look during the tournament and the ball. He wants you. If you do not take measures to stop it you will end up in Crowley's bed."

"Cas, I'm not going to sleep with anyone ..." He said raising his voice a little. When he notice he was being loud he began to whisper "... but you."

Castiel smiled touched by the declaration of fidelity but continued in a grave tone:

"I know. I never doubted you. But the king will do anything to get what he wants. "

"I’ll say I took a vow of chastity. What do you think?"

"That would only make him even more anxious to get you... No. Say you're being afflicted with some venereal disease. This is what will make he think twice. He has an irrational fear of getting sick."

"I'll do that, then. I hope it works."

"Believe me. Now, how about we eat so we can study a little? "

Dean presented himself in his gala uniform at the door of the king's quarters at the proper time.

The door was opened by an elegantly dressed footman. Crowley had a fascination for luxury and good living. Castiel told Dean that he had been a very poor boy. Some people said his mother traded him for three pigs with the owner of a traveling company of actors when he was a child. The same mother had now returned, demanding her rights as the mother of the monarch.

Dean walked in cautiously looking around. The furniture, curtains and rugs were sumptuous. There was no sign of the king, however.

He walked unsteadily toward the wall where there were several oil paintings of Lawrence's kings. He recognized Chuck III and Crowley himself, the two sovereigns who had ruled during his lifetime. The portrait of the last one was the biggest of all and he appeared almost like a king of divine origin with a light that bathed him coming down from the clouds in the sky.

"Why admire the image when the real king is in the room, Captain Winchester?"

Dean turned startled and bowed deeply to Crowley.

King Crowley I was elegantly dressed, brocade and velvet wrapped around his squat figure in a smart way making him look taller and slimmer. He had a seductive smile on his face.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation, Dean. Can I call you that? I feel we are going to be ... good friends. "

"I can’t deny you anything, Your Majesty. I owe you the honor of having a position in the Corps of Archers. I thank you deeply." Castiel had instructed him to be subservient and flattering so as not to incur in his fury.

Wine was brought in gold goblets adorned with precious stones at a subtle gesture of Crowley's hand. He then proposed a toast:

"To Dean Winchester: that your life be long, your career successful and you do not lack pleasures."

Dean lifted his cup, smiled at the man in front of him and drank. The wine was sweet but he remembered he should refrain from drinking too much. He had to be in control of the situation.

The dinner was more elaborate than the banquet. The king seemed willing to impress him. The dessert were fresh fruit from the farthest corners of the kingdom and fine pastries, made by the hands of the city monastery's nuns. They were delicious. Dean ate his fill.

Crowley rose and invited him to accompany him to the balcony. The moon was magnificent on that spring night, he was informed.

Dean got up and followed him, crossing next room which was decorated with elaborately carved wooden furniture. In the center there was a huge sofa which was covered in countless silk cushions. It looked like a trap ready to imprison Dean.

He walked to the balcony a step behind the ruler. He looked up at the sky at the shinning satellite. Looking at the perfect full moon he could not help but think of Castiel. He should be observing the beautiful moon with him.

The king succumbed to his rude manners, putting aside the subtlety by  touching Dean in one of his buttocks and gripping it possessively between his fingers.

Dean did not let himself to be shaken and as Castiel suggested earlier, he smiled showing that he was pleased with the king's attention.

When Crowley finally took him by the hand and led him to the sofa, pushing him against the soft pillows, Dean accepted the kisses and caresses intimately disgusted by the situation. But when the determined hand of the man in the top position of the nation slid into his pants, Dean jumped up. That had gone too far.

In the light of the candelabra Crowley's eyes had a reddish glow as one would expect from the devil's eyes when he was scorned.

"Do not be afraid, Captain. What I want ... you will appreciate, I'm sure, "he said in a tone where there was a veiled threat under the sweetness of the words.

"It is not for fear that I shy from your touch, Your Majesty. Your caresses are ... indescribable! How I wish I could ... "He turned his face, dramatically, to try to hide some of his disgust.

"But you can, Dean. I want you to be mine. We will have such pleasure… "

"How... how can I deny such a generous offer? Yet, in the face of temptation, I must confess something to you. "

"Don’ you dare tell me you don’t like men! This has never been a problem to me, Winchester!" The king said losing his composure. This insignificant peasant had the audacity to deny him what he wanted?

"Your Majesty has all the attributes to attract me, if I may be so bold. I know it would be the most memorable experience, but ... I must confess that ... I fear for your ... integrity." He blinked, looking away as if he were embarrassed.

The king, with a furious glance, spat a question:

"My integrity?"

"Yes, your physical integrity, your... health. The truth is... no matter how much I try to disguise it, since I frequented an ill-famed house in the town of Orry a few weeks ago, I have been having an unbearable burning sensation in my... "

Crowley getting pale instinctively brought a handkerchief to his lips.

“I see," he said, as soon as he could recover enough of the shock. The hand that had touched Dean seemed to be on fire and he could not wait to wash it and disinfect it with medicinal ointments. "I order you to leave my quarters. Immediately! I'm tired and I can’t bear your tedious presence anymore, Captain."

Dean said in a low voice humbly lowering his head:

"Forgive me, my Lord. Thank you for the honor of dining with you, even though I am not even worthy of cleaning your boots."

"Yes, yes, go on ... Leave me alone!"

Dean walked away with his back to the door and sighed as he got out. When he left the palace he entered a tavern. He asked the attendant for a piece of parchment and a pen. He scribbled a few words on the small piece of paper and folded it. He summoned a boy who played on the floor with some pieces of wood and offered him a coin to take that note to the Guard headquarters.

After a few minutes he went to the royal stable and asked for a horse. He mounted and set off toward the woods to the north of the city.

Castiel received the note as he walked up and down his office. He had agreed to wait there in the fortress for a note from Dean before going to his room in the castle.

He opened it and read the concise message:

"I need to see you. Tonight."

He put on the tunic hanging from the back of the chair and left controlling his willingness to run in order to meet Dean.

Dean approached the dark house and tied his horse to a fence in the back. He walked to the front of the house and sat on the steps. The moon lit the way and he could see the silhouette of the man he loved approaching at great speed.

He got up and waved.

Castiel dismounted and immediately wrapped him in his arms. He was relieved that Dean had managed to escape the king's wiles and was there.

"Dean ..." he whispered into his neck feeling the nauseating perfume the king always wore which was imported from the distant kingdom of France.

He instinctively moved away. Dean sensing the reaction said:

"Cas, I need a bath. Please, that asshole touched me ... Ick! "

Castiel pulled him by the hand to the water pump pointing to a bucket.

"I hope a cold bath will soothe you, Dean" the blue-eyed man joked. "The king must have excited you too much."

"I need to get rid of this perfume and forget about the disgusting touches of that... that..." he added, grimacing.

"Come, fill the bucket. I'll get the tub."

After filling the tub with fresh water Castiel began to undress Dean. Despite the anxiety he saw in his partner's eyes he acted softly, as if to demonstrate the contrast between his actions and those of the king. However, he did not touch him in a sexual manner for he realized that Dean felt dirty and angry that he had been the object of the caresses of another man other than the one to whom he had sworn eternal love.

Castiel brought him into the tub and bathed him with his gentle hands sliding down his skin, wishing he could erase those unwanted memories from Dean's mind. When he was satisfied with the cleaning and the other looked at him with intensity, he let Dean take his hand and place it to the stiffening member, even under the effect of the cold water.

Dean stood and delighted in the contact of his naked, damp body, against Castiel's uniform. His arousal grazed against his soft trousers, as he felt the other's hot, warm hands sliding down his skin.

As they fell into the bed, Dean ripped Castiel's clothes off ferociously. The moonlight streamed through the glazed window and over the faces of the two lovers. No words were needed, the passionate stares were enough to assure them that they were made for each other.

The touches became softer after that. The fingers that traced the muscles of the back or were sucked by avid lips, were only meant to show affection and satisfy the partner. When Castiel finally found himself inside Dean's body he thought he would not last long. The need for release was too urgent. Dean had him deep inside and his face emanated such an intense pleasure that had no comparison. They rested in each other's arms afterwards. Lulled by the whirlwind of sensations and warmed by the love they shared, they fell asleep, forgetting for a time all the intrigues of the kingdom.

A cry in the darkness awake them:

"Cassie! You are crazy?"

 Gabriel was in the room with a lamp in his hand watching the naked men on the bed.

"Gabe, what ..." began Castiel, trying to cover them both with a sheet.

"You and Captain Winchester! You and the king's new sweetheart! You're crazy, I'm sure! "

"Gabriel, it's not like that, let me explain ..." Castiel said getting up and going after the brother who had left the room.

"There's nothing to explain, brother! You two  are rolling in bed while the king desires the new Captain. It's suicide! Did you not pay attention to my warning? "

"Gabriel, try to understand ... Dean and I ... we love each other," he said sincerely sharing that secret for the first time. "And Dean managed to get away. The king has no more interest after what happened today. "

"That does not make the situation any better, Cassie. You will be discovered and the king's wrath will fall upon you. Everything will be ruined ... Everything!"

Nothing could calm the jester.

Dean, who had been silent up to then spoke approaching Gabriel.

"You’re the only one who knows our secret. If you keep it we'll be safe. Castiel told me that the king is fickle and soon will have a new interest. He will forget me. "

"The king is not stupid, Mr. Winchester!" He said, turning away, trying not to look at the nakedness of his brother's lover. "If he realizes that he has been deceived, my discretion will not be enough."

The three of them remained silent for a while wondering what they could do. Gabriel tried to persuade them to end their relationship but that was out of the question. They decided that they needed to stay apart as much as they could, meeting only in public.

That was what they could do until the king found a new interest. Many months would pass before they could make their involvement known and get married as they wished. Gabriel couldn’t believe it would work out it but as he realized that the two would not heed to his advice, he reluctantly agreed.

He left promising the lovers that he would help them. Even though they would be destroyed if the king found out, he was a romantic in his heart after all.  He also loved his brother very much to see him unhappy.


	7. Magic

Sam and Dean were having dinner at the Gilda’s accompanied by Charlie, her fiancé. The mistress of the house, the attentive lady who had cooked the meal, had already apologized and retired leaving the young people to enjoy themselves.

Dean had always been moody but in the last few weeks he had been really intractable. He was trying to stay away from Castiel and that was killing him.

Sam was surprised by this behavior. Dean seemed to have everything he needed to be happy after all: a prestigious position, new friends, he helped his brother to get what he wanted now that he was working in the Lawrence Central Library. Why was he so irascible and ready to explode in the face of the least of the setbacks?

When Dean raised his voice again on a trivial matter Sam could no longer restrain himself:

"Man, what is eating you lately? We can’t even talk without you blowing up for anything! "

"Sorry, Sam. I'm just tired."

"I know you, Dean. This is not the reason. What's bothering you?"

Dean gave him a hard look but turned away as the girls began to giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"Sam doesn’t understand, Dean. But it can be one reason only: you are suffering for love ... It’s clear as day!" Gilda said in a conciliatory tone in sharp contrast to the aggressiveness in the archer's tone.

Dean was astonished and even if he could refute that statement his face betrayed his secret.

"Dean! Is that it? "Sam asked anxiously.

Dean hid his face in his hands and shook his head.

"I do not know how you figured it out, Gilda, but it's supposed to be a secret, so… keep quiet, please."

Charlie, excited by the revelation, couldn’t help it:

"Who is it, Dean? Who are the one who has your heart?"

Dean’s face told them to stop asking but the red-haired girl smiled at her partner:

"It's him, Gilda. You were right."

"How can you know anything? We’ve been trying to be cautious."

"Gilda has a special gift, Dean. She dreamed of you and Captain Novak bathing in the Fountain of the Fairies under the stars."

Dean gasped, spitting the wine he'd just swallowed.

Sam banged on the table in surprise.

"Captain Novak?"

"Shut up, Sam. Um… Come again? "

"I often have premonitory dreams. When I remember one as clearly as I remember this, it's because it's going to come true." Gilda replied softly.

Dean was astounded and even if he could deny that Castiel was his lover his face had betrayed his secret.

Sam, curious, asked Gilda:

"What's this… Fountain of the Fairies?"

Charlie stepped forward and explained patiently, addressing Dean more than Sam.

"The lovers who bathe in the Fountain of the Faeries after consummating their love in the summer solstice night will become inseparable. Nothing, not even death, can make them apart. If one dies the lover accompanies the other in the afterlife. They are like two souls in one for all eternity. "

Dean's eyes widened, his heart racing. It was exactly what they wanted. Not even Crowley could separate them.

Sam looked at Dean guessing what was going on in his thoughts.

"If you tell him, Dean, do you think he'll accept the idea?"

Dean did not even bother to deny that it was exactly what he was thinking about:

"Castiel believes in magic and I'm sure he would."

Gilda got up and began gathering some objects in the drawers of a nearby chest. She placed a book on the table and opened it on the page where a text written in ancient runes explained the spell of eternal love.

She read out loud with a solemn voice:

"The lovers whose hearts and bodies unite under the testimony of the stars, on the night of the longest day of the year, and cool the effects of the passion in the crystalline fountain that lies on the edge of the Kingdom of Fairies, will have their destinies bound forever. Not even the reaper will have the power to stand between them for whither one walks the other will follow. "

She closed the heavy volume and took another, larger one, containing numerous maps. She chose one of them and her finger ran over the lines until they pointed to a spot located east of the capital. There was nothing on the map except a small dragonfly and a crown.

"This is the limit between the diaphanous Fairy Kingdom and ours. It is one of the many contact points of these two distinct universes whose portals open only on occasion allowing their inhabitants to meet. The summer solstice is one of these special days in which the parallel worlds connect. The fairies will bless with eternal love whoever is in the fountain in which they come to admire the reflection of our stars. In the past, when knowledge of these magical truths was widespread, the fairies were very busy during that night of the year. Nowadays that knowledge has been forgotten and many years may pass before the fairies can find a couple in their waters. "

"If few people know about this, how do you know?" Dean asked.

"After having dreamed with you three nights in a row, I began to feel that it was something very important. I consulted the monk who is Head Librarian, Father Singer. He has a broad knowledge of the parallel kingdoms and indicated the books I showed you. Until you came here today I did not know how I would tell you this, Dean. But fate seems to have interfered. Now if you wish to be joined to Captain Novak forever you two have to perform the ritual. "

Dean blinked slow, imagining the two of them in the waters of the fountain, surrounded by fairies. He wanted to believe that.

Dean took Gilda's hand and kissed her palm. A hopeful smile appeared on his face and he left the house to meet his lover.

Two men walked hand in hand toward a natural fountain halfway along the edge of the Kingdom of Lawrence with the neighboring kingdom of Amand.

What most people were unaware of, however, was that different-dimensional realms also had their borders at that place. There, the world of humans met a kingdom whose doors would open that night - the shortest night of the year, the companion of the longest day.

Dean was carrying a basket with some gifts that his friends Charlie and Gilda gave them. They were provided with a soft patchwork blanket for them to lie under the stars. There was also sweet wine to delight their senses and a vial of perfumed oil to anoint their bodies before the most intimate encounter. Dean smiled and hugged the young women affectionately before leaving to meet his companion.

Castiel heard the story told by Dean with complete faith since magic had always fascinated him. He accepted the proposal for the meeting at the fountain as if he was accepting a marriage proposal. It was more than that though since it represented an eternal bond between them.

The sun had set and the stars began to appear in the black velvet sky. Face to face, near the placid waters that were like the most perfect of mirrors, they spread the handmade blanket and lay down on it. They tasted the wine getting more intoxicated with the sweetness of one another's lips than with the drink. At last they undressed and with oily hands impregnated with the scent of rosemary and lavender they touched each other, reverently, before consummating their love.

The sighs and moans drew hundreds of dragonflies which began to glow slightly as they approached the lovers, shedding light over their intertwined bodies.

After Dean and Castiel made love they rested for a moment before rising and sliding into the crystal clear waters. Their movements disturbed the perfect image of the night sky that appeared on the water surface.

The dragonflies drew closer and the light emanating from them intensified. An almost impalpable dust fell on the lovers embellishing their hair with glittering little spots.

Green and blue eyes met and an even greater peace came down upon them.

They knew that the blessing of the fairies had fallen upon them, uniting their fates inextricably.

 


	8. The proposal

There were days when the phrase ‘It's good to be the King’ did not seem to apply. Crowley sat on the throne in the courtroom completely bored.

His eyes wandered, disinterested in the faces of the people who made up the long line of petitioners. When he thought about being king this situation of weekly torture had not occurred to him.

He had been a minister under King Chuck I and it took him years become indispensable to the former monarch. Little by little he gained a position of trust with the gentle king. Chuck was loved by his subjects for his generous heart and kind disposition.

When the moment came for him to choose his successor the choice fell upon a man who did not share either of these qualities. Crowley was petty and self-centered. His fits of fury and temper were legendary. It was said that this was the result of lack of love in childhood, for it was a known fact that his mother had sold him for three pigs. Another defect – or quality, if you chose to look at the matter differently - was born from it: years as part of an itinerant company of actors had made him a man accustomed to the representation of roles.

According to the circumstances, he could represent the magnanimous and courageous king, a sovereign worthy of admiration and a refined human being capable of being moved by the face of a baby or the sight of a beautiful sunset. He knew how to charm when necessary but he was ruthless when he felt betrayed or deceived.

At the moment, however, he was utterly bored. And that made him want to slap somebody. Maybe later, he thought, his eyes sparkling at the idea.

An elderly man approached the throne and the king yawned. Probably one more request for debt forgiveness. He mentally calculated how many debts he had forgiven that day, not wanting to lose his reputation of a magnanimous king, but also not wishing to give up the money that was due to the Crown. It was an exercise in balance to which he only submitted by necessity. For him, he would rip off every last coin from anyone who owed him anything, no matter what. However, his advisors persuaded him to think a little about his popularity.

To his surprise, the man did not ask for forgiveness of debt or concession of land: he had come to offer him a wife!

The advisers hurried to make the man stop talking, for that matter, though of great concern among the court, was not to be treated lightly in a public hearing. Negotiations involving royal unions were private and demanded long discussions regarding advantages and disadvantages. But Crowley, tired of the same requests, raised his voice and made the white-bearded man step forward and speak louder.

"Alastair is my name, Majesty. I am the emissary of the magnanimous Queen Abaddon of Hades. In her name I come to propose a marital union of unspeakable advantages to our two kingdoms. "

"Welcome to Lawrence, Sir Alastair. Although it is not common for this matter to be dealt with in a public hearing I would like to hear your proposal on behalf of the queen you represent. Please accompany Minister Kripke to my courtroom. In a few minutes I'll meet you there and we will be able to discuss it in private. "

With a determined gesture, he beckoned the subordinates to dismiss the other people who were waiting to speak to him even though there were still many of them.

He rose from the throne and sipped his favorite wine before following Alastair. Not that he thought about marrying, let alone a woman, but anything was better than sitting there for two more hours listening to the whining of the people he ruled.

Alastair had brought magnificent gifts and that by itself had placed the king in a more benevolent disposition. Thirty coffers full of jewels and gold coins and twenty crates of the finest wine only for Crowley to hear the proposal of Hades.

The emissary spoke at length about the numerous economic and strategic advantages of the union for the two kingdoms while the ministers who had not been present at the public hearing would rush disorderly into the king's private room to hear the proposition.

Finally, as if to sell the agreement for good, Alastair had one of his companions bring the last gift: a huge painting covered with black velvet.

With a dramatic movement, Alastair pulled out the fabric revealing a portrait of the queen he represented. A murmur of admiration filled the room. She was beautiful! Queen Abaddon's fair skin contrasted with her splendid red hair which has been depicted in an elaborate hairstyle on which sat a tiara of pearls. Her  lips were red and seductive, open in a rapturous smile. Her pale neck was adorned with a gold and emeralds necklace, the largest of the impressive stones resting in its diamond setting between her perfect breasts. A green dress further emphasized the almost unreal beauty of the woman who occupied the throne of Hades. However, her dark eyes seemed devoid of life as if the painter had not been able to grasp the essence of the person he had portrayed.

Crowley was more impressed by the opulence he saw. And he was even slightly affected by her beauty though women in general did not appeal to him. He remembered, irritated, the last time he had been impressed by beauty: the insignificant Dean Winchester who had turned out to be a complete disappointment.

To the dismay of his ministers, whom he had not consulted at any time during the meeting, he addressed the emissary and invited the queen to come to Lawrence on an official visit. That invitation, even if apparently an informal one, had in the eyes of royalty the weight of an engagement. In agreeing to a personal meeting he was to some extent committing himself to the ruler of the other country.

The news that the king would marry soon spread fast. Everybody was talking about it in the capital.

Dean rejoiced thinking that this was the moment they had been waiting for months. Maybe it was time they could finally make their romance known and get marry as they wished.

He left the barracks and headed to the headquarters of the Royal Guard. For some time now Dean had no need for instruction since he learned quickly and established himself as a captain in every way. However, the lunches continued under the pretense that they had a positive effect on the integration of the two military branches. Unfortunately, they happened only twice a week at that time because it was still necessary to hide their relationship. It was of extreme importance not to incur in royal suspicion.

Now Dean felt free as if the king's heavy gaze had turned in other direction. He ran toward the Captain's private room, where he was working at that hour. The archer opened the door without knocking and threw himself at the dark-haired man at the table with documents scattered in front of him.

"Dean!"  It was the only word that escaped from Castiel's lips before they were taken passionately by his lover’s mouth.

The chair upturned and they found themselves on the floor of the study still wrapped in a torrid embrace. As the kiss came to an end, a smiling but worried Castiel asked:

"I appreciate your visit, Dean, but don’t you think we should be discreet?"

"I see you didn’t hear the news yet: Crowley is getting married to a foreign queen."

“What?”

"Yes, the king finally showed another interest. According to the news, upon seeing the portrait of the queen he fell in love immediately. They say she is very beautiful. "

"She must be very rich." Castiel said, his hand caressing the back of Dean's neck before pulling him into another kiss.

"That does not concern us, Cas," Dean continued. "What matters is that, after so many months, we can reveal our relationship."

"Do you think this is wise? Shouldn’t we wait some more time just for precaution? "

"Captain Novak, if I have to spend another night away from you, I think I'm going to lose my mind. We haven’t been together since that night at the fountain tree weeks ago, not even once."

"I'm painfully aware of this, Dean," he said, licking his lips. "How about... spending the whole night at my house? I have the day off tomorrow and you can dispense yourself from your assignments as well, in celebration of the royal engagement."

"All night? Does that mean I can wake up in your arms and do it all again in the morning?" He asked kissing Castiel’s neck below his ear.

"I can’t wait for our lives to be like that forever, Dean," Castiel replied.

"We have a date, then. We will meet here and then we’ll have dinner at the Roadhouse. People have to start seeing us together" he said finally rising from the floor and offering a hand to Castiel.

"I expect you here at seven."

Dean arrived at the gate of the Royal Guard barracks with a bright smile on his face. The two men mounted their horses and went the tavern where they sat together. The fact that two captains would share a meal was not particularly remarkable until Dean bowed and kissed Castiel in plain sight.

There was a rustle among those who were there and then some smiles. The people of Lawrence were known for their romantic leanings.

One of the spectators was not impressed. He had been having some suspicions, so far unproven.

Commander Bartholomew, Castiel's subordinate, had harbored a passionate interest in his captain before the rise of Dean Winchester. In revealing his attraction, he had been turned down. Now he saw another man take the place that he believed should be his.

 He also knew that the king would not like to hear about his two captains.

He finished drinking his beer and waited. He never took his eyes away from the men who incited his hatred.

When they left and rode their horses again, Bartholomew followed them discreetly to their meeting place.

After that he turned his back and returned to the tavern. He needed to think. He had plans to make.

The night was memorable. Passion now free from fear led Dean and Castiel to a new level of intimacy.

The morning light, filtered through the windows, revealed  two beautiful naked bodies on the sheets, both men still asleep in each other’s arms.

A loud sound woke them up followed by the icy touch of steel on their throats.


	9. Treason

A detachment of the Guard invaded the private property of the Novak family and ordered the two soldiers to be arrested for conspiracy and high treason.

Dean was torn from the arms of his beloved and handcuffed while Castiel tried to contradict the order. He was silenced by a slap in the face by the man who led the action, Commander Bartholomew. Soon shackles blocked his movements and naked as they were they were both pushed out of the house.

They gagged them and threw them on the backs of two horses covering them simply with sheets.

Castiel and Dean were taken to the dungeons of the palace and placed in separate cells far from each other and without being able to talk to anyone.

For three days, while friends and subordinates on the outside worried and relentlessly searched for them, they were held incommunicado and deprived of food.

Naked, alone in the stone cells, the two men yearned for the freedom and comfort of the loving touch they found in each other.

On the morning of the fourth day each was given a tunic of white, thin cloth and a thin soup for breakfast.

They were escorted separately to a room at the top of the tallest tower. There for the first time in days they could see each other even if they had been shackled to opposite walls.

Guards prevented them from talking but their eyes said everything they wanted to say. They talked about the love they felt and the hope they had to get out and be together again.

After a few hours the door opened and the king entered alone. He ordered the guards to leave and to wait outside.

"Captain Novak, Captain Winchester ... Two men whom I considered to be honorable and who held important positions in my kingdom," said Crowley in a soft voice. "How do you feel now that you are traitors?"

"We did not commit any treason!" Dean shouted, being silenced immediately by the king who struck him in the face. Blood began to run from one of his nostrils.

"Shut up when I'm talking! Treason is the crime you committed and by which you will be found guilty and executed!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me ... there must have been some mistake ..." Castiel began to say, trying another strategy, but Crowley just laughed.

"Pathetic little soldier! Dean preferred you instead of me? You will suffer long before you die, Novak," he said, his tone heavy with contempt.

Dean struggled as if by force of will alone he could break the cast iron pieces that bound him to the stone wall.

The king looked from one to the other before opening the door and leaving.

Crowley would love to have time to torture Novak and take advantage of Winchester now that they were going to be declared traitors but the Queen Mother very insistently requested an audience.

Entering his private study he found her already seated in his chair. This way he would have to stand before her or sit in front of the table in a lower position.

He hated the woman who was his mother with all his strength! But she had abilities he could not dismiss and the thirst for power he possessed was certainly inherited from her. She stood, then, so he would have to look up at her as he sat down.

"Fergus, terrible news came to my ears ... I hope the messenger who brought me the message is wrong!"

"Mother, please call me Crowley... ‘Your Majesty’ would be even better, but everything but Fergus" he mumbled, annoyed. "And if the news you heard relates to my engagement to Abaddon… they’re true. You came to congratulate me, I'm sure. "

"You can only be joking... marry that... that bitch! Abaddon is a woman whose thirst for power and wealth can only be compared to mine! There is no place for both of us in this court! "The small woman raised her voice.

"I made my plans, Mother, and I have no intention of changing them. However, if you offer me something I want I can think of something to ease the discomfort you will feel when she comes to live here..."

"You're playing with fire, my dear son ... You are placing yourself between two strong, red-haired  women... But I'll give you a chance. Say what you want and I'll see what I can do. "

The monarch's mind was still focused on the image of Winchester in the tower and the almost orgasmic feeling he had felt as he slapped him. He could ask her what he wanted. He only thought about having Dean under his control under the sight of Novak.

"You could begin by helping me in a simple matter. But it will not be all I will ask, since the situation has two distinct aspects."

"That help, would it involve magic by any chance?"

"Of course, _Mom_ , what other way would you help me but for your mastery of the dark arts of magic?"

It was night and they had been there all day. Their hands and legs were tingling because of the position in which they had stayed so long. They were hungry and thirsty and only the sight of each other could ease the suffering a little.

Without warning the door was opened and some lamps were brought into the gloomy room and placed along the walls. Castiel could see now that Dean's face was beginning to turn black where the king had struck him with a blow. Hatred brought a bitter taste to his mouth and he wished he could destroy the king.

Moments later some brocade-padded chairs were brought by servants and placed in the center of the room.

After waiting for what would happen for a few more minutes,  the king came in accompanied by his mother. The guards were dismissed leaving only the four of them there.

Rowena initially approached Dean and touching him with icy fingers, she stared at his face. Her eyes then turned contemptuously to her son sitting in one of the chairs. She walked to the opposite direction and looked at Castiel in whose face he saw hatred. She smiled wickedly for it was this kind of emotion that her distorted soul fed upon.

"Fergus, I'm ready. What do you want me to do first? "

"Mother, please ..." he would complain again but decided to leave it for now. "Well, first things first. Dean must be thirsty. How about giving him a sip of what's in the little bottle you have in your pocket? "

"In my pocket... you’re talking about my last love potion? You mean the potion that makes the person who drinks it burn eternally for someone else? Their heart and body will belong only to one person? If this person despises them they will suffer pain comparable to the fire of Hell?"

"I think Dean needs a shot of this potion. He seems desperate to fall in love with me! "

Rowena unlatched the crystal vial and walked over to Dean. Crowley was at his side because it would be for him that the archer would have to look first in order to fall in love under the effect of the potion. Dean's expression was comparable to that of Castiel now, full of hatred and fury. He clenched his jaw tightly, determined not to swallow the substance in the bottle.

Crowley then grabbed his face and pressed his nose trying to open his mouth. Dean held out as much as he could but after a few minutes his lips parted to inhale and then the potion was given to him. Lest he spit, Crowley's firm hand gripped his jaw as Rowena squeezed his nose again. Dean swallowed by reflex but as he felt the fiery liquid trickling down his esophagus he closed his eyes tightly so that he could not look at the king who would then become the recipient of his passion.

The king's hands then opened his eyelids and he placed  himself directly in Dean’s sight. There was no way to escape. Dean was bound to fall madly in love with Crowley. In a matter of seconds they should see the effect of the potion manifested.

All the while, Castiel had been struggling against the moorings and now his wrists and ankles were bleeding from the friction with the coarse metal. From his mouth came a howl of pain as Dean was forced to ingest the liquid.

Crowley turned to Novak, his face contorted in a triumphant smile. He would have Dean. Dean would submit to his lust, right there, on that hard, cold stone floor. And Novak would have to watch while Crowley possessed him. Then Castiel would die horribly.

Everyone looked at Dean who was shaking his head as if he was dizzy.

When his eyes opened for a moment he looked confused. He looked at the people who surrounded him at the room where he was as if he had just been transported there. Suddenly, his eyes focused, and at the same time his body began to reverberate with a soft light, his mouth opened and he cried:

"CAS!"


	10. The curse

The king could not believe it! Unable to hide his frustration he walked up to Captain Novak and delivered a violent blow to his stomach.

The potion had no effect! He turned to his mother demanding an explanation for the failure.

Rowena was perplexed looking at the soft glow now emanating from the two men. Their hair seemed covered in diamond dust for they shone in a strange way in the diffused light of the lamps.

"I don’t  understand, Fergus, my potion has never failed before. But I suspect the action of another kind of magic here... Look how they shine... "

Crowley finally saw what was evident to his mother. Their skin emitted a bluish, supernatural glow.

Fearful, he stepped back, but Rowena's hand held him there.

"I need to research my books before taking any other action."

"But, mother ..." the king began to whimper as the red-head cut him off:

"Enough, Fergus! Let's leave these two here and come back later when we know what we're dealing with. "

Guards now stood outside since no one should see the two traitors as they were now.

Although still constrained by iron bonds, suffering from hunger and thirst and the aggressions they had suffered they could at least talk.

As soon as Crowley and Rowena left, Dean called for Castiel in a husky voice in which the effect of the blow he received could still be felt.

"Cas... are you okay?" Dean asked, worried.

A faint smile appeared on Castiel's lips before answering:

"I'm here with you, Dean, I can see that your skin shines because of the fairy spell. I’m glad they gave us their blessing. That's what saved us so far."

"But they will return. And they will have new plans. What will we do?"

"We can’t escape, Dean. We are at their mercy. But I believe that nothing they will do can separate us. Fairy magic will keep us together until the end... and beyond."

"You think they are going to kill us, then?"

"I'm afraid so. But our love will live on... that's what gives me strength now."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Dean. Forever."

Rowena ripped most books off the shelf in her bedroom, scattering them across the floor. Crowley was sitting in a corner boiling in his own frustration.

She was now flipping through an ancient volume written in runes just like the one Gilda had shown Dean. She read furiously, her hands turning the pages hard until she found what she was looking for:

 _"’The lovers whose hearts and bodies unite under the testimony of the stars, on the night of the longest day of the year, and cool the effects of the passion in the crystalline fountain that lies on the edge of the Kingdom of Fairies, will have their destinies bound forever. Not even the reaper will have the power to stand between them for whither one walks the other will follow.’_ They are under this spell, Fergus!"

"Break it, Mother! Break the spell so I can have my revenge! "

"Silence! Didn’t  you hear me say it's a fairy spell? Only they can undo it but for that we need to wait for the next summer solstice ... If you want to keep them in captivity until then, it can be done."

"Can’t I at least kill Novak? That son of a... "

"Fergus, you're a fool! Didn’t you hear what I read? If one dies the other also dies! Their love will live on beyond death. They'll win in the end, do you understand? "

"Can I torture them? Say yes... Please... "

"Sometimes you test my patience, my son ... I’m thinking of a way to torture them indefinitely ... What can be worse for two people who love each other?"

Crowley had never loved anyone so he had to think for a moment. Unable to reach any answer that did not involve torture and death he shrugged waiting for his mother's suggestion.

"They love each other. They need each other's company, they need to touch each other, they need to..."

"I get it, Mother!" Crowley interrupted impatiently. "What do you mean?"

"What if there is a way to ... go around ... the fairy spell, keeping them apart… even in death?"

Crowley had to admit that while it did not quench his desire to own Dean, the fact that Castiel would never do it also had a certain appeal.

"What do you have in mind, dear ‘Mama’?" He asked with a devilish smile.

 

Dawn was near and the two lovers imprisoned in the tower had fallen asleep. The fact that they were together was their only relief.

The door opened suddenly and Rowena entered. A very old, shriveled woman accompanied her carrying a wooden chest covered in strange symbols. She put it on one of the chairs that had been left there the day before and left casting a terrifying glance at the two captives.

A few minutes later a rumpled Crowley joined his mother. He looked tired, as if he'd been up all night.

 "Good morning, boys," Rowena said cheerfully. "I hope you're ready to let go of the love you have for each other. Yes, because if you cling to it the suffering will be immense... " At the silence of the two men she opened the chest and took out a knife from it. The handle was covered in rune-shaped notches. She handed it to Crowley who finally smiled.

"Bring me a lock of hair from each of them, Fergus."

Crowley seemed disappointed that his role in that activity did not involve sticking the knife into their bodies and watching them bleed. But when he cut their hair he tried to hurt them. That was his nature.

He laid the two strands of hair on the floor in two small copper vessels placed in front of her mother. She began to add a few powders, seeds, liquids to a third, larger vessel which she took from the trunk while reciting a strange chant in a language unknown to the men present. In the end she placed all the ingredients in the larger bowl, even the two smaller vessels. She lit a fire underneath it.

Castiel and Dean bodies still showed some of the shimmer from the previous night and it faded for a moment when an explosion shook the room filling it with a black smoke which obscured everything.

When it finally dispersed, Dean released a pained cry. Locked to the wall where Castiel had been, a blue marble statue had replaced him.


	11. Despair

When Dean stopped screaming and thrashing, thick tears rolled down his face. Crowley delighted in the suffering of the man who dared to despise him.

"Are you happy now, Winchester? Do you want to touch Novak's body now that he can’t feel it?"

"What have you done to him, bastards?"

"Oh, Dean, just a little idea I had ..." Rowena replied. "The spell of the fairies can’t be broken, but I managed to bend the rules a little. Do you see your beloved Castiel transformed into a marble statue? I have to admit that even still like this he's handsome. But don’t worry, he will not be this way forever ... By nightfall, when the last light of day fades he will be human again."

Dazed Dean listened to her. Would Castiel revert to the human state at night? How? Why?

“At the same time you, Dean, will take his place imprisoned in marble until a new day comes. You will never meet again. You will never be able to touch his warm skin again... You will never be able to love each other… Never able to touch each other sensually... "

"Mother! Enough! " Muttered Crowley.

"This will happen for many, many years before the end, I hope. I would hate to know that my curse was quickly extinguished. The torture must be long as I promised the king. When one of you finally dies, the other will remain as it is for the rest of the time. That is, if you, Dean Winchester die for whatever reason while in human form Castiel Novak will remain imprisoned for all eternity as a statue ... and vice versa. Notice my creative use of magic to keep you two apart. The soul trapped in stone will never join the other in the afterlife!" She laughed as he watched Dean's desolate face. "You’ll be apart in life and apart in death!"

Dean lifted his head and tried not to cry anymore. Castiel would not like to see him like this before those despicable beings. From his lips in a grave, haughty tone, hard words came out:

"Crowley, you and your mother will regret harassing us. I swear for all that is most sacred that we shall meet again and that our revenge will be terrible! "

The king's eyes were clouded for a second as if the veil of fear had fallen on him. But he thought he had his mother, a powerful sorceress by his side. He was tempted to have Dean, finally, by force, right there, breaking his spirit. But Novak's inability to watch the act had taken some of the fun out of it.

He decided that he no longer wanted to see Dean Winchester in his life in the form of a person or a statue. He called one of the guards outside and ordered the two to be removed from there and taken to the ends of the kingdom, to the most inhospitable regions, thus adding distance to the problems that separated the two captains.

Gabriel had been contacted two days earlier by a tall young man claiming to be Dean Winchester's brother. He was worried because the archer had disappeared without a trace. The last he heard of him was that he had been dining in the tavern with Castiel.

The Captain of the Guard had also disappeared after that and Gabriel worried that they could have  been killed by the king's agents. He explained his fear to Sam but the two decided not to give up and continue the search. The younger Winchester would rather believe that they had fled together, avoiding the royal fury.

Gabriel’s mind was swirling as he walked his way through the palace, thinking about the absence of the two men. He found his passage blocked by a group of soldiers pushing a heavy object covered by a tarpaulin. Although it was on a sleigh, what looked like a statue must be heavy.

Distraught as he was, he stood there staring at the floor as the men struggled through the difficult task. He watched as the tip of the canvas got caught under a column and when the sleigh went forward  it let Gabriel see what it hid. He wanted to scream but his throat did not respond. It was a statue. He had Castiel's features and the position of his body was that of a man bound to a wall by shackles.

He thought this must be Rowena's work. She must have trapped them and turned them into stone!

Finally regaining control of his actions he noticed that Castiel was being removed from the palace. He tried to figure out where they are taking the statue without success. He saw when it was placed in a warehouse next to the stable and a guard was left to watch over it.

Desperate, with his mind in huge confusion, he decided to ask someone to take care of the statue until he could contact Sam and also look for Dean. Samandriel was his apprentice and he was appointed the task of covertly observe the statue while in the storeroom. He was a loyal young man and Gabriel knew he could trust him.

He sent Sam a note telling him what he had discovered. After that he set about scouring every  room in the palace discreetly. As he began to climb the stairs leading to the highest tower his passage was barred by a soldier.

"Is there a problem, officer? I always come to rehearse in the tower room where no one can hear me. I would like to go there today, is it possible? "

"No, Gabriel, the tower is closed. Maybe tomorrow."

"What is going on? Did the king ... organize an orgy and forgot to invite me? I am the joy of this kind of party ..." joked the buffoon as the guard would expect of him.

"They said a traitor is being kept there. I've been told he will be removed later ."

"Um… the interrogation of a traitor is not as pleasant as an orgy. Maybe just as messy! I think I'm going to plan an orgy myself. I might send you an invitation, officer." He said winking with a mocking smile as he walked down the stairs.

He had just found out Dean's whereabouts.

Crowley immediately left the room at the top of the tower but Rowena still had things to do there.

Dean had retreated to a state of stupor staring at Castiel's face across the room motionless, his features frozen in surprise.

The red-haired woman bowed and from the copper bowl she took out the two smaller ones, the ones that had contained both captains' locks of hair. They now contained two pieces of marble. One of them was exactly the color of the statue next to the wall and the other had greenish veins. Rowena smiled and slipped them into the pocket of her dress. The rest of the material used to cast the curse was transferred back into the small chest. When she finished picking up she threw Dean one last glance. He seemed mesmerized by the sight of his lover turned into an inanimate object.

She laughed looking at the tragic scene and left the room.

Dean's eyes followed her until the door closed. He saw the queen place the two stones in the folds of the robe.

Sam was desperate to know what had happened to Dean. Gabriel reminded him that his brother was alive unlike his own. The young Winchester sympathized with the man who told him that sad story and in an impulsive gesture hugged him. The jester started crying.

But soon he composed himself, thinking that Castiel loved Dean so much that he would wish he could be saved.

He told Sam that he would get in touch as soon as he knew what was going to happen to Dean. If he was to be executed away from the palace there was a chance that they could still rescue him.

He returned to the palace and watched. When Dean was taken, gagged and handcuffed, to the place where the carriages used for the transport of prisoners were kept, he wrote a note to Sam telling him to follow it as soon as it left the castle walls.

To his surprise, the statue of Castiel was also brought to the same place and loaded in another carriage enclosed by railings. ‘It's a statue’, Gabriel thought. There was no way it was going to run away. Why didn’t they put the statue in an ordinary cargo cart?

After the two carts were loaded they left the courtyard of the palace toward the outer walls. They reached the enormous gates and left the castle. When they had gone only about two kilometers they had to be diverted to the sides of the road, to give way to a huge procession that came in the opposite direction.

Queen Abaddon had arrived.


	12. Apart

On horseback, Sam and Gabriel followed the carriages where their brothers were while they were leaving Lawrence's capital.

However, when they reached the junction of the roads a few kilometers from the gates, each one went to an opposite direction on the map. Dean’s wagon headed north into the icy forests of Sioux Falls, while Castiel's went to the marshes at the south of the kingdom. They were two sparsely inhabited places due to the difficulty of surviving in them.

The forests were in the mountains and the temperatures were always quite low. There were almost no settlements there, the region being a huge reserve of royal hunting. Peasants were forbidden to hunt in those lands. The penalty was death.

To the south, the marshes were an unhealthy region where the heat and humidity could sometimes be almost unbearable. There the settlements also were sparse and people preferred living a few miles north.

When they saw that they would have to separate in order to follow the carts, they took their separate ways determined to accompany the brothers to their final destinations. Afterwards, when possible, they would return to the capital and discuss the possibilities.

Neither commented on the likelihood of losing their jobs. Sam was a newcomer to the Central Library where he had a minor job. Gabriel, on the other hand, had a privileged position in the court and was very influential. Maybe he would lie and tell the king some debauched story and get his position back. He needed to be around if he was going to avenge his brother.

Charlie and Gilda would have to monitor the situation in the capital and keep them abreast of the situation in court while they were gone.

After a few hours Sam noticed that the wagon he was following had stopped near a tavern on the road. The sun was setting, so the coachman and the guard accompanying him should be hungry. One of them went inside to fetch some food and drink while the other would keep an eye on the prisoner.

From his hiding place, in the midst of the trees, he saw when the guard that was guarding the cart was gone to relieve himself in the woods before his companion returned.

In order to take advantage of his carelessness, Sam rushed there and whispered his brother's name, but he did not answer. Dean should be unconscious. Sam tried to look inside but it was too dark. When he noticed the guard leave the tavern bringing dinner he ran to hide on the other side of the carriage. What he saw as he looked at the bars on that side made his blood cold: stone fingers wrapped around the bars, as if a statue had been carved around the metal!

In the diffuse light coming from the tavern he could see Dean's features ... frozen in green marble.

Gabriel ended up having a similar experience and realizing that his brother had reverted to human form. Magic had always haunted him and he felt helpless. He cursed the day he found the two lovers together and failed to dissuade them from continuing their relationship. Now they were like this, kept apart with no visible possibility of being reunited.

On the other hand, he envied his brother who had found a companion who made him  happy, even if it had lasted so little. It was so much more than he could ever get in his lonely life.

By the end of the week Dean was released in the woods. Weary and sad, he did not try to fight when they pushed him out, still clad only in the tunic he had worn in the dungeons, now not so white. He lay down where he fell, his head against the ground, no more tears to cry. Sam found him like this, after the men who had brought him left.

"Dean!" He shouted at the sight of him. The temperature was very low and he suffered from seeing his brother so badly dressed. He got off his horse and took a blanket from his luggage and wrapped it around him.

Dean was surprised by Sam's presence and hugged him feebly.

"Ho-how did you get here ...?" Dean stammered, his voice weak, his teeth chattering with cold. Sam helped him to his feet.

"Gabe. He discovered what happened to you. I followed you and he is following Castiel wherever he is being taken... "

Dean laughed bitterly at the mention of the name of his companion in misfortune.

Sam did not like to see that expression of defeat on Dean, who had never given up so easily.

"Castiel ... he will not be a statue forever... will he?" Sam asked softly.

"If you have seen what happened to me ... the same thing will happen to him, but in alternate moments. I will live during the day ... and he will live only at night. "

"And the rest of the time ... when you are..."

"When we are stuck inside the stone? Nothing. Absolute unconsciousness... My life has no more nights, Sam ... only days.” He winked slowly. “Terrible days."

"There must be some way to reverse this curse. I will not give up on finding a way to end your suffering."

 "Sam ... not even the fairy spell was able to avoid it. We are doomed to live like this forever or until one of us dies. Then the other will eternally be an inanimate statue for the rest of his existence... "

"And what are you planning to do, then?"

"I'll stay here for a while. I'll figure out a way to kill Crowley and his mother. I have to keep the promise I made them.

"I know you do not want to listen to me, but the girls and I are not going to let go of your lives. Gilda is already working on it. She thinks the fairies... "

"Enough of magic, Sam! I need to think of things I can do with my own hands. "

"As you wish... Well, I brought you some things, clothes, your bow, some money that Gabe lent me. I have to go back to the capital. I ask you to let me know where you are whenever you can. If you need something, send me a message.  . Here is the address of Gilda's house. Write me, please, before you make any decisions.

Dean did not answer. He just looked deep into his brother's eyes. He could see only sadness and preoccupation in them. He wondered for a moment if hatred and despair were so apparent in his own.

He took the things his younger brother had brought him and listened to the indications of where there were some towns a few miles south. If he knew how to protect himself he could live there for a while.

His heart, however, had room only for two conflicting emotions: his undying love for Castiel and his immeasurable hatred for Crowley. These would keep him alive.

Castiel was released from his confinement, late at night, as the commander had instructed the frightened guards. His brother Gabriel met him a few hours later. Riding through those swamps was a difficult task and the jester had been lost more than once in an attempt to keep his distance from the wagon.

Castiel sat at the foot of a twisted tree whose roots arched over the ground. He was holding his head in his hands, desolate.

Gabe joined him and wrapped his arms around Cas’ shoulders. Castiel didn’t show any reaction.

Cas’ mood was even worse than Dean's though they could not know that. He blamed himself for accepting so resignedly the fate that the king had imposed upon them. He remembered Dean, disgusted, being comforted by him, who had given up fighting. This guilt was too heavy to carry. He thought the curse was appropriate because he felt he had to pay for the cowardly behavior he had shown. His life thereafter, short or long, would be lived as if in Purgatory.

After much insistence on Gabriel's part he drank some water. When he spoke, only despair and defeat could be heard in his words.

Gabriel was not going to accept that:

"Cassie ... Dean loves you. Never forget that. He's alive. He was taken north, Sam is on his trail. "

"Is he alive? Poor Dean… I can’t remember anything... there was a black smoke and then I was in the wagon which brought me here. Why can I remember? "

Gabriel told him what had happened and Castiel at first refused to believe it. But after thinking for a while he admitted that Crowley and Rowena would be capable of something like this. He felt even guiltier for it was he who pursued Dean and involved him in everything. He should suffer alone.

"We need to find some shelter for you, little brother. I brought you some things you might need, but you need to take care of yourself. This is an unhealthy place.”

"I need to atone for my sins, Gabe. I don’t deserve help from you or anyone else. If you can, find Dean and help him. Protect him, please. Leave me here. Forget about me."

No matter what Gabriel said Castiel was determined to stay in that awful place and suffer, day after day until he died. He thought he didn’t deserve to live.

They stayed there until dawn, when, as expected, a blue statue took Castiel’s place. Gabriel left him there and went exploring the surroundings, thinking of a survival plan for his brother even if he had given up on life.

What he discovered made him a little less despondent. A few kilometers away there was a very old monastery. The men who lived there were almost forgotten by the rest of the inhabitants of the kingdom. They were old monks, living ascetically, praying, feeding themselves frugally and studying.

When Gabriel told them his brother's story, the monks took pity on him and offered to shelter him if he could be convinced. They lived piously and charity was part of their conduct.

 It was not easy to convince Castiel, but at last he let himself to be taken there. The good monks welcomed him. In the end, Castiel accepted the help because of his brother. He should return to the capital and live his own life. Castiel would not allow Gabe to lose everything too because of the curse.

As soon as he left, Castiel planned to leave the monastery.

 

Sam left for Lawrence with the promise that he would get help. Dean should hide in the woods for a while and then start looking for some place to settle until Gilda and their friends had some idea on how to reverse the curse. Dean did not want to contradict his brother again, so he just shook his head in agreement.

But he knew there was no hope for him. And there was no hope for Cas, wherever he may be.


	13. Separate ways

Castiel was led to his room in the old stone building by a monk and apologized for having taken him out of bed so late. He could only get around at night and Gabriel had already explained his situation to the elders of the monastery. They welcomed him felling touched by the tragic story of the lovers.

It was not a religious order in the strict sense of the word. The men who lived there dedicated their lives to the protection of their kingdom culture. They were not ordained but lived in isolation believing that the written word should be preserved at all costs. They were teachers and scholars who loved books and knowledge above all else.

But they lived as monks because they turned away from the worldly life by devoting themselves to the study and care of books, because five centuries earlier, king Gordon I ordered Lawrence's society to be purged of the poison that was _Knowledge_. He begun by banishing some of the works he considered to be subversive and by the end of a few years all the libraries of the kingdom were almost entirely destroyed. The reconstruction work took a long time and some of the works of ancient authors were lost forever. It was a disaster that marked the history of the kingdom to this day when the construction and maintenance of libraries had become a priority.

Castiel sat down on the hard bed and sighed. His life was made of nights. He would never see the sun again or feel its heat. At the moment he had no motivation for anything and he thought of staying in that place for some time until he could think of a penance for having made the person he loved most in life suffer in such an horrible way.

 _Dean_ was alone somewhere, living an existence composed only of days where the darkness of night did not touch him. At that very moment, he was a statue devoid of any conscience. Far away. Impossible to reach.

He looked at the moon, which appeared in its crescent form. He mentally counted how many moons had passed since his first encounter with Dean and a warm sensation filled his chest. Those were happy months, in spite of the difficulties, during which they gave themselves completely to the purest of feelings. Now all they had was emptiness and pain.

He lowered his eyes to his clasped hands and wept.

Dean had adopted a routine: he wandered during the day, looking for food and shelter in the woods. Sam brought him some clothes, a bow and some money he'd collected from their closest friends.

He did not yet had the courage to venture to a nearby village but when he would he intended to send his brother a message and tell him his whereabouts.

Although his life was half-lived, since the nights did not exist in his memory,the days still seemed very long. Living apart from the one who owned his heart was like being a shadow of the man he used to be. He ate, drank, hunted when he could, but there was no relief to the loneliness he carried in his heart. During the night, while he was a marble statue he felt nothing, he didn’t think, he didn’t dream. He had no hope and only lived day by day.

He moved with agility in the wild environment for having been raised by his father as a nomadic hunter. There was nothing new to him about it except the sorrow and hatred that compelled him now.

It used to be survival. Now, he had to keep on living for revenge.

There was not a time when he did not think on how he would take the lives of those who had caused him and Cas so much harm. He made plans, figuring out how to avoid real security, how he could make them suffer, even though he knew only a fraction of the suffering he felt he would be able to inflict on the monarch and his mother. They were beings devoid of feelings and deserved nothing more than the end by Dean’s hands.

He felt anguished that Castiel would forever become a statue after he was killed. He had no intention of escaping after executing his revenge. Life seemed impossible to him without Cas' company.

He remembered his deep blue eyes and gentle hands. He reminisced about the sweet smiles that were only meant for him. His chest tightened at the thought that he would never see them again.

A frustrated scream left his mouth but in the middle of the dark and cold woods no human being was aware of his sadness.

 

Two weeks after he arrived at the monastery, Castiel had already met all the men who lived there and one of them invited him to a private conversation.

He was one of the wisest of the monks. The others respected him very much. Frank Devereaux was the undisputed leader of that small group. He was a rather eccentric person but everyone respected his opinions nonetheless.

Sitting at a corner of the library under the light of a lantern which casted soft shadows over the two men's features, Frank began in a firm voice:

"Castiel ... we realized these last few days that you are an honorable man. We are sorry that you have lost your partner and, in a way, your own life. When we accepted to shelter you here some questioned this decision. "

"I'm sorry for having interfered with your routine, Frank. I did not intend to bother the quiet life in your monastery. "

"We gladly accepted you, Castiel. What we have not told you is that even your brother avoided telling us your whole story we suspect what may have happened. It is not because we live isolated here in this monastery that we do not know the excesses of the king and his mother... "

Castiel looked surprised at the gray-haired man. He did not expect anyone there to know what had happened. This could put them in a delicate situation should the court hear he was sheltered there.

Frank continued unabated:

"Many of Crowley’s actions resemble those of King Gordon I who represents to us the absolute corruption of power. When his mother was admitted to court many of us feared for the kingdom... Your story only showed us that they have no limits to their depravity. They need to be stopped."

"Frank, don’t let my presence here endanger your men and your work."

"Do not fear for us, my friend. We do not intend to rise up against the government as you think. "He said with a smile. After a few minutes of silence, during which he seemed to meditate, he continued:

"Our group emerged, almost five centuries ago, when possessing books was a crime, Castiel. It is part of our life mission to ensure that the knowledge accumulated by our ancestors is protected. What I want to tell you is the best kept secret of this monastery since the beginning of our history. "

Rising, he took the lamp and waved Castiel to accompany him. Leaving the library they walked down a winding path that led to another, much less imposing construction. It was a repository of tools used in farming.

Amidst the tools Frank walked to an area covered by hay. Taking a rake he swept away part of it, cleaning a small area on the stone floor. He bent his body and squeezed one of the splices of the floor between two of the smaller tiles. Immediately a trapdoor opened, showing Castiel that there was a floor below that room.

Castiel stared out into the darkness of the stairs that descended from the floor where they stood. Frank smiled at him and invited him to follow downstairs.

A short staircase led to a locked metal door. Removing a heavy key from a pocket, Frank opened it, signaling for the former Royal Guard Captain to step inside, carrying the lamp.

When his eyes fell on hundreds of wooden shelves covered by ancient volumes and parchment scrolls, Castiel couldn’t suppress a surprised sound.

Frank Devereaux looked at Castiel, his face beaming with pride.

"These books ..." began Castiel, not knowing what to say.

"They date back to the time before Gordon's reign. All of them are supposed to be unique, works that should have been destroyed in those times of darkness."

Castiel walked a few steps toward one of the tables covered with leather-bound volumes. He dared not touch anything. Those were relics of ancient times.

"We all agreed that you should have access to these books, Castiel."

"Why is this collection hidden down here? Father Singer of the Central Library of the kingdom would collapse if he knew what you have here. "

"Many of these books were banned because they contain knowledge that most of the rulers and religious leaders in power would not like to see disseminated. Most of them are about the parallel realms and magic. The knowledge of these subjects is now almost forgotten."

The younger man said nothing, amazed.

"We decided to allow you to seek among the books and scrolls in this room a way to put an end to the curse that weighs on your life and that of your companion."

Castiel inhaled, allowing himself to hope for the first time since he had fallen victim to that horrible spell. It was better to find a way to end the evil they had done to them than to suffer in vain.

"You can come here every night to research. You will have unrestricted access."

Castiel felt immensely grateful for the glimmer of hope that this man had provided.

Smiling, he lowered his head, feeling touched by the kindness of those men who up to few days ago were complete strangers.

Frank walked to a table and lit a candle. He pulled the chair up so that Castiel could sit.

Open on the table there was a very ancient volume on black magic.

 

Dean had no need to sleep, nor did Castiel. Their moments in marble were like a deep sleep with no dreams.

He wandered through the forests, his mind wrapped in sadness and plans for revenge. Hatred was slowly consuming him, making him a bitter man.

One particularly cold afternoon in the forests of Sioux Falls, where the icy wind seemed to penetrate through his robes and hit him directly on the bones, he sought shelter for a meal. Under some large stones he found a spot to keep out of the gale, where he could make a fire and roast the rabbit he hunted earlier.

He survived for days feeding on nuts and fruit but that was no diet for a man in Dean's condition. After preparing the animal and roasting it, he ate avidly. He felt a little better after the hot meal and leaned back to rest a little, using the saddle of the horse Sam had provided for support.

He ended up falling asleep, warmed by the heat of the fire and the sated stomach.

He saw himself walking in a misty labyrinth of tall green hedges. The path was difficult and he sometimes found himself with no way out.

He kept walking and searching for a way to get out of the maze. Instead he soon found himself in the center of it, a sort of square full of marble statues.

The beautiful sight, however, made him shiver. Approaching cautiously, he sought a known figure among those forms fixed in stone. There were so many that he soon felt frustrated, walking desperately through the statues, staring at their dead faces, touching them in their eagerness to find the one he was looking for.

When he was ready to give up, his eyes saw blue tones in one of the most distant sculptures. Walking with difficulty, for his steps seemed to take him only a few inches at a time, he finally got there. He stood and looked at the familiar face. The manly features he had fallen in love with were frozen in that stark expression he had when he was in charge of his detachment. His eyes were fixed to a point on the horizon.

Dean couldn’t help himself when confronted with the image of strength and beauty that had instantly conquered his feelings. He touched the chest of the statue but his hand instinctively moved away. Instead of the expected cold touch his fingers had felt heat as if under the stone there was still a beating heart.

Lifting his eyes, through tears, he saw that the face had changed and now it showed his warmest smile and a loving gaze.

Dean woke with a start, his heart racing and his face wet.

Somehow, that dream had managed to restore his faith a little. Maybe there was still a chance for them.

He wiped his eyes and extinguished the fire with the heel of his boot. He mounted and continued on, his chest now cradling a fragile hope.


	14. Hope

Dean settled in a village almost on the border with the kingdom of Hades. He got a temporary job as a lumberjack in exchange for food and some money. In fact, he decided to stay in one place for a while so he could tell Sam where he was.

After the dream he had with Castiel his thoughts became a little less gloomy. The vivid recollection of his gaze and smile remained with him, as though imprinted in his mind. If he meditated on this he might conclude that there was a very strong bond between them, even at a distance, by the blessing of the fairies. If they would sleep more often, which they did not, they would probably understand that even apart their contact was possible in some way. But, at the end, Dean only imagined it was a result from the memories of shared love.

When he found a place to stay in a house that had rooms to rent, he wrote to Sam. The letter would take some time to reach the destination and more be answered, so Dean took his time there. He did not make friends and his contact with the other residents of the place was minimal.

He worked hard and retired very early. No one knew why he was already locked up in his rustic room at dusk.

 

When Frank entered the secret room, he found Castiel again at the table. Sometimes he would take some book to read in his room, fleeing a little from the muffled atmosphere of that place. At other times he would remain there and when he came back to life he would resume his research immediately.

He rarely remembered to eat if not rememberd by the monks who brought him some food and water from time to time. His life was simply reading, searching, comparing and translating. There were works in ancient, forgotten languages, and he had to try to discover their meaning. In this he was assisted by the youngest of the monks, a young man named Kevin, who had shown an early interest in the works of the monastery. His mother had allowed him to spend some of his time there. Now an adult, he had moved to the place, for the despair of his family who intended to see him following the family job. He was specializing in the study of dead languages.

Kevin had gradually changed his sleeping schedule so he could follow more closely what Castiel was studying. Between them a friendship was born and the former captain was grateful for it. He was impressed by the boy's wit and intelligence, being young as he was.

One night the leader of the monks was looking at the blue statue for a long time. Castiel had changed physically since arriving there. He was now thinner and his skin was paler for he had no contact with sunlight. He had grown a beard. It looked like a specter of the man he had once been, but his gaze, desolate on arrival, had returned to focus when he began researching. He was a man who needed a goal and what motivated him would be discovering a way of breaking the curse to see Dean again.

Frank took the paper that was in front of Castiel. It was a long note in his handwriting. A dragonfly was drawn to the middle of it and circled several times. However, he realized that the information was incomplete. Perhaps that was why Castiel was frozen with his elbows on the table and his hands clasping his forehead with eyes closed. He showed his deep frustration. He was reached by dawn before finishing the night's work.

He took the book that Castiel was reading and looked at the page covered in Enochian letters. By now Castiel was able to read the ancient language. He pulled out a chair and continued the other man’s note where it was interrupted.

As he finished reading that chapter, he got up and walked to the farthest shelf and took a box full of parchments. He brought it to the table and searched until he found what he wanted. He took the fragile text from the pile and looked at it in the lamplight. A small smile was allowed, a rare thing.

He placed the document on top of Castiel's now complete notes. It would be the first thing he would see when night came.

 

Sam got home late in the afternoon. He felt exhausted, for Father Singer had decided to move the shelves of an entire room to another wing of the building. He'd spent the whole week carrying books from side to side, separating them and putting them on the shelves. He had not even had time to read anything.

The smell in the air was delicious. Gilda's mother, Mrs. Raines, was an excellent cook. She came to meet him in the living room coming from the kitchen and she had a sealed parchment in her hands.

Sam did not want to hope that it could be a letter from Dean. Weeks had passed since he left him in Sioux Falls. He remembered his brother as a man whose spirit was broken. He felt hopeless.

Turning the missive into his hands he noticed the lack of a sender address. He hurriedly opened it to find his brother's strong handwriting. He sighed in relief and smiled, to the delight of Mrs. Raines. She had grown very fond of the Winchester boys.

"Is it from Dean, my son?" He asked softly.

"Yes ... he’s in a village, working. He said he's staying there for a while. "

"Did he… ask about Castiel?"

"No, he didn’t... but what could we say? We know so little... Only that he is in a monastery south of the kingdom. Gabriel said he looked defeated too. "

"These poor men... they deserve to be together."

"My brother never loved anyone like this ... Yes, they need to be together. Their feelings for each other are very strong and rare. "

A few days later, as he entered the library, he met Gabriel's familiar face. This time he looked radiant, unlike the last time they had spoken, shortly after the return of their journeys in opposite directions of the kingdom.

"Sam!" He said, patting him on the back. Father Singer did not like the presence of the court jester, for he always wanted to subvert the order and break the silence, so the young librarian pulled him into a less critical area than the main reading room. There, in the parchment store room, he asked the reason for the visit and why he was so cheerful.

"Sam, we have something to celebrate! Cassie and the monks, who are seated on a treasure trove of ancient books, let me tell you, may have discovered a way to get around the evil done by Rowena. He and two other monks are coming here to talk to Father Singer. I need you to explain the situation to him. "

"Father Singer will not object, even if it means opposing the king's will. He can’t stand him. "

"Now it's up to you, then. They will meet us here in two weeks, because they can only travel at night. Cassie is a dead weight during the day, as you know... "

"I must write to Dean right away!"

"I think you should wait, Sam. Castiel will already be exposing himself by coming here. It would be better not to have Crowley find the two in town. Tell him, but do not say that my brother will be in the capital. Just say there's a chance of reversing the spell, in a little while. "

"Well ... I think you're right. I will not tell him everything yet. "

"Let Castiel arrive and we'll discuss the issue," he said, turning to leave. Then he added in a low voice. "I have to return to the palace. I am the focus of attention lately in the halls of the court... the tension is palpable between the king and his wife. The mother-in-law also adds firewood to the fire, and so we have a  war within the walls. I just have to relieve the tension. And at the moment, I can’t make fun of any of the three. It has been difficult..."

"I thought they were well adjusted, the wedding was quite an event. And the king’s heralds only boast how happy they are... "

"Advertising. They can’t stand each other. In fact, they both have the same idea: dominate the kingdom. Up until now this game of chess is in a deadlock. Who has power to unbalance this game is the queen mother, but she seems to have realized that she can have everything for herself, Lawrence _and_ Hades. She acts in the shadows but not for the sake of his son, as some expected. "

"And Abaddon is here to stay? Does not she think about going back to her own court?" Sam asked curiously.

"I think she fears she'll lose space if she walks away, leaving Crowley free to act. The two of them have agents spying on the spouse. Well, for my part..." he began and stopped, as if he didn’t know if he should say what he had thought.

"On your part?" Sam urged him on.

"Well ... Abaddon brought a lot of ladies with her. Many of them are incredibly beautiful ... I've already had my share of this party... However... I think I'm lost, Sam. I found the one that can knock me down at my own game. "

"Game of conquest, if I suppose."

"Yes, Kali is cunning, beautiful, sensual, capricious and full of tricks. And I, despite having tried to keep my attitude, I fell in love with her... " he said, sighing. "I have eyes for no one else and she despises me."

Sam did not know what to say. He had never seen Gabriel lose his coolness. He smiled then, patting his back.

He wondered when it would be his turn to find someone to love. But he was not too anxious to suffer like the other men he knew.

 

Castiel arrived on a full moon night. It was the middle of October and it was autumn. He remembered the spring and summer days he lived in the capital next to Dean, and he felt extremely alone.

Frank and Kevin had come with him to talk to the head of the Kingdom Central Library and complete the information they had brought from the south. Although they had access to the old material, Robert Singer knew a lot about the parallel kingdoms, and so they had come to the conclusion that the best solution would be to appeal to the fairies, who ultimately protected lovers from the summer solstice on.

The old captain avoided the places he frequented previously. He stayed with his friends in an inn near the road that gave access to the city. Gabriel would find him there, along with Sam and the two young women who were his friends.

They sought a discreet place, out of sight. Sam hugged Castiel, who, surprised by the show of affection, did not know how to respond. But he was glad to know that what he felt for Dean had the support of his family and friends.

Gilda and Charlie also introduced themselves, and soon Charlie had him riddled with questions. Gilda just smiled, knowing her fiancé’s agitated and curious nature.

When Father Singer finally approached the group, descending from his mount, he was greeted by Frank:

"Bobby! I see that time has not been inclement only to me, old friend! "

"Speak for yourself, Frank. It must be the mold of your old library or the air of the marshes where you live! "

Kevin, somewhat intimidated by the presence of the most important Librarian in the kingdom, seemed to have lost the ability to speak. He just nodded nervously at him.

The last to arrive was Gabriel. When he saw his brother he felt so relieved that he hugged him tight. He was surprised at his appearance, though. Castiel had always been the more handsome of the two, strong and tall, his face exuding authority. At the moment he looked thin and sad.

But as soon as she looked into his eyes, he found them as bright as ever.

 


	15. The summoning

The meeting lasted all night. Castiel informed the others that since Dean and himself were under the fairies blessing they had become their protégés and the spell went far beyond eternal love. This information was found on the parchment Frank added to the research he worked on for weeks.

They came out with a plan. A ritual of contact with the fairies would be performed although the opening of the gates of the kingdom should only occur on the next summer solstice. They would have try to seek his magical aid before that date.

Father Singer, who had been a part of Frank's group and had moved away to pursue his religious vocation, had deep knowledge of invocation rituals. It was his job to prepare the ingredients and find the best place to perform it.

Kevin asked how they would communicate with the fairies. Gilda stepped forward and said that she had access through the chief librarian to a very old compendium on the language of the fairy kingdom, which she had been studying for a while. The young monk showed interest in learning the language also, so she offered to help him.

Castiel was thrilled to find out that Dean and he had so many friends and relatives interested in helping them. He touched the arm of his brother beside him listening intently to the discussion. He was incapable of helping in the mystical aspect but he could always protect them for being privy as he always was to all matters at King Crowley's court.

He had already told them that Bartholomew was the man who had betrayed Castiel and Dean to the monarch and that he had replaced Castiel as Captain of the Guard. His inclement manners were leading the soldiers to an acute state of dissatisfaction, but they could do nothing when he was under direct royal protection.

Unlike Dean, Castiel was averse to the idea of revenge. He intended only to regain his partner and go away from that realm where corruption and depravity began to pervade every aspect of life.

Frank saw this as an opportunity to save Lawrence's kingdom both from Abaddon's hands and from his own ruler and his mother.

When morning light reached them everyone had a chance to see Rowena's curse in action and in the face of such cruelty their intentions got even stronger.

Lovers like Dean and Castiel deserved a life together while Crowley and Rowena only deserved the most nefarious end.

Within a few days Kevin and Gilda declared themselves ready for contact. It was necessary to find Father Singer to know the state of the preparations.

He informed them that one of the ingredients, djinn blood, could only be obtained through some hunters from the northwestern region of the kingdom and that it was quite rare. The djinn and the fairies had shared, in a very remote age, an alliance. To contact them, djinn's blood was still an indication that it was a safe contact.

Castiel settled in a simple house near the Fountain of Fairies and there he remained with Gilda and Kevin. Although the two young people were good company he felt lonely and restless, anxious for everything to happen.

One night Sam came to see him and said he would finally write to Dean to let him know of his plans. He wanted to know if Castiel would like to include a letter as well.  He said yes and then sat down to write in the isolation of his room.

He wanted to say so many things to his beloved. His feelings had only grown over the months of separation. But he decided that he would rather say those things in person, eventually. His missive was short but he knew it would lift Dean's spirit:

_"Dear Dean,_

_I love you more than ever. I firmly believe that it is our destiny to be together._

_Please do not lose hope._

_Castiel."_

 

On a cold night in early November the group of friends of Castiel and Dean gathered by the Fountain of Fairies.

Father Singer had brought what was necessary for the ritual. Kevin and Gilda were ready to talk to the fairies. The others, Sam, Gabriel, Charlie and Frank came to support Castiel since there was no guarantees.

In the exact spot where they met at the summer solstice Singer drew a dragonfly on the ground. On top of it he placed a vessel carved in pink quartz with purple nuances. One by one the ingredients were added to it: rainwater, rose petals, a few amethysts, a handful of sugar, a vanilla bean and a piece of pink ribbon, tied in a bow. The priest nodded to Gilda, who in a soft voice sang a chant inviting them to approach in the ancient language of the Fairies. Finally, two drops of djinn blood, before Kevin said the final words of summoning.

Castiel's eyes fixed on the sky, waiting for the familiar sight of the dragonflies. However many minutes passed and nothing happened.

Everyone held their breath in suspense fearing that something went wrong.

Castiel's hair then slowly started to glow because of the mysterious fairy powder. Sam was the first to notice it and he nudged Gabriel to look. In a few seconds everyone was looking at the soldier, whose body emitted a faint blue glow.

As if led by an invisible hand Castiel got up and walked to the fountain.  He bowed and touched the placid surface of the water. His reflection on the surface of the fountain gradually transformed and on the other side of the water mirror appeared an ethereal young woman in flowing robes, made of cobwebs and flowers. One of her fingers touched the tip of Castiel's finger.

Her mouth opened in a smile and she spoke in her peculiar language. Gilda, who had approached, translated:

_"Our son, our protégé. It's good to see you again."_

Castiel nodded, greeting her. Gilda would transmit his message then:

"I'm grateful for your protection, dear friend."

The fairy's beautiful face now showed a touch of perplexity:

" _Where is our other son? The one who shares the deepest bond with you? "_

"He's far away. We are apart because of a curse. "

The delicate features showed, for a split second, the indignation the lady felt. She closed her eyes and then said:

_"I sense the presence of bad intentions and feelings. I see the hardness of the marble… the sun and the moon imprisoning lovers."_

"Yes, we are apart. We need to know whether it is possible to break the curse so we can live under your blessing again."

_"The Fairie Council must be convened. We know the crystalline feeling that live in your hearts and I am sure all will be willing to help you. At the winter solstice, come again to our fountain, only the two of you, and we may restore your profound and pure bond. What we give can’t be taken away, for it is eternal. Fear not, my son, the love we feel for you is unbreakable. "_

Castiel finally smiled and a tear trickled down his face, mingling with the fountain water.

_"Thank you for your gratitude. I will treasure this precious gift, son."_

Castiel lifted his body and the image of the fairy disappeared.

A hopeful smile appeared in the face of the former captain.


	16. Conflict

Dean picked up his little baggage which contained only the essentials to get to the capital. He intended to stay at Gilda's house where Sam lived and as soon as possible leave for the location at the Fountain of the Fairies.

As soon as he was back to normal at dawn, he left the inn and rode out. The weather was getting colder, the autumn in this part of the kingdom quite chilly. He felt relieved that he would be spared the winter there, that everything would be all right, and that the coldest season would be spent with the one he loved most. Where? He did not want to think about that now. He wanted to find Castiel. Revenge? The thirst for revenge on the two people who caused their suffering was still strong in him but the possibility of dying while he did was no longer part of the plans. He had to live now that Castiel could be his mate again.

Castiel's letter had reached him in the middle of November. He knew that the trip to the capital could take up to two weeks, as he had to stop at dusk and resume the trip only the next day. He intended to arrive early in December, with enough time to help with whatever preparations were necessary.

He traveled among the trees, parallel to the roads of the kingdom trying to remain sheltered among the foliage. However, as he left the upper reaches of the Sioux Falls forests he noticed a disturbing view down the road.

What he saw ahead looked like a military detachment, but it did not bear Lawrence's colors. As they headed toward the Kingdom headquarters from the north, Dean could only assume they were forces coming from the Kingdom of Hades. The soldiers wore green tunics, and the banners they carried were green and red, side by side with the effigy of a golden flame.

Acting instinctively, due to the years spent in the wild with his father and brother, he went deeper into the woods. The journey, no doubt, would take longer than he had imagined at first.

In a moment of anger Crowley arrested Abaddon. She tried to poison him. Through her agents in the palace, a potent poison was to be administered to the monarch in one of his favorite dishes. Since he was indisposed he did not eat any food in that meal, he only drank water. As they picked up the dishes, one of the kitchen helpers ate a portion of what had been served to the king and ended up on the kitchen floor, dead almost instantly.

The royal physician attested to the presence of the poisonous element that was not common there but was at one of the provinces of Hades. Crowley did not hesitate, despite the desperate requests of his ministers. They feared military retaliation by Alastair, who was back to the capital of Hades.

Abaddon was now in the dungeons, devoid of all comfort. Her long hair was cut off and she was stripped of her jewels and beautiful clothes. It was a cold November and she would be wearing a light tunic and having only bread and water. Crowley planned to execute her in a public event, even if she never had a trial, regardless of the consequences for the kingdom. His self-centeredness prevented him from seeing far beyond his own navel.

The population feared war. Rumors came circulating around the capital and neighboring villages from which the forces of Hades were invading the kingdom.

When Crowley, blinded by fury, finally allowed himself to be persuaded to leave his quarters and meet his ministers, the neighboring country's army was halfway to the capital.

An emergency plan was set up to defend the royal fortress. The population of the city should take shelter there as soon as possible.

Sam, Charlie and Gilda, however, decided to leave the city and meet Castiel in the small house near the fountain. They needed mobility and the last thing they wanted was to be confined to the perimeter of the fortress. They left Mrs. Raines to the care of Father Singer. Fortunately, the Fountain of the Fairies was east of the city, away from the current path of the troops that were coming from the northwest region of the kingdom.               

     

Dean continued on back roads, but every now and then he approached the main road to check the state of the invasion. The number of soldiers was increasing and he feared for the kingdom.

Crowley had caused this with his greed and his authoritarian ways. Dean felt angry. Even if they could get rid of the curse, they might no longer have the kingdom they had served. Castiel had been a soldier of Lawrence most of his life. He would suffer greatly when he saw the land he had sworn to protect devastated by war.

He had to stop often and wait for the enemy armies to pass. He was trapped for three days in a gorge, surrounded by the soldiers of Hades. His strength was weakening and he needed to move on.

When he finally succeeded in doing so he realized that he would arrive long after the deadline probably very close to the date set. The weather was getting colder and the snow accumulating on the ground made it even more difficult to travel.

But in his mind the memory of Castiel was like a beacon calling him home and into his arms.

That was the only reason he was able to keep going.

A few days later he witnessed his first battle. Crowley's forces succeeded in repulsing the advance of Hades’ troops, keeping them for some time confined to the bank of a wide river. Crowley ordered to destroy all the bridges between that point and the capital, intending to delay the confrontations.

Dean could not help thinking that if everything had been as he had imagined he would now be among the archers he saw in action. Castiel would also be exposing himself to danger because he was so close to the king. For the first time he could see a positive aspect in that whole story.

With the main roads taken by the skirmishes, Dean could only go deeper into the woods again, diverting from the villages. At some point he would reach Lawrence's most important city and then see what that corrupt and decadent ruler had done to his native land.

When this day finally arrived, exhaustion weighing heavily on him, Dean looked up and saw columns of smoke.

The villages that surrounded the great walled city burned, a direct and unhappy result of one man's greed.


	17. The Faerie Council

Dean approached the town but a battle dominated the surrounding area. He would have to go directly to the Fountain of the Fairies if he wished to reach it before the appointed day.

He didn’t have much time left. He had to be there in two days but he feared he could not if the armies kept blocking the passage with their skirmishes.

The archer tried to travel through the abundant forests in the area but several opportunists had already settled there, awaiting the passage of eventual fugitives. It was the most despicable class of people, ready to rob who only wanted to evade the conflict.

It made the journey more difficult. He would have to take a longer path.

By the end of the first day of the trip, he was both exhausted and anguished. There was no way to postpone the scheduled meeting, otherwise they would have to wait until next summer.

He sought a sheltered place to undergo his night-time transformation. He would hate to be caught unawares during the night though no one could suppose that beneath the cold stone beat a human heart.

Castiel showed more enthusiasm every night. Sam often stayed up late just to talk to him and get to know him better. He came to the conclusion that his brother was very fortunate. The two seemed to be made for each other, despite all the apparent differences. Inwardly, their hearts were very similar.

On the eve of the winter solstice, everyone in the house stayed up at night to keep Castiel company. They had prepared a festive meal, for they knew how much he might be anxious.

To the delight of the two young women, the former captain asked them to help him by bringing a simple but clean outfit. He asked also that one of them cut off his hair. The beard, he had promised himself, would only be removed when it was all over. For him it was the concrete symbol of the suffering of being away from his beloved.

They prepared him a lavender scented bubble bath which made him laugh in amusement. The clothes would be delivered to him the next day, before his departure.

Charlie would be responsible for cutting his hair and trimming his beard. She acted very cautiously, still somewhat intimidated by the fact that she had a Guard Captain in front of her. But in the end, at Castiel's grateful look and gentle smile, she ran her fingers through his hair and messed it up a bit, saying she always thought he'd look even more handsome that way. Castiel laughed as he stared at the reflection in the small mirror, remembering how Dean always did the same thing. Charlie must have been right, he thought.

Everyone wished him success and said goodbye as dawn drew near. Castiel couldn’t find words to thank all of them for their friendship and devotion, and, contrary to his usual behavior, he hugged each of them, feeling deeply emotional.

Dean managed to turn away from the last band of rogues in the woods and noticed that he was approaching the fountain on the opposite side from where Castiel was likely to come. It was almost late afternoon, and his heart quickened to the thought that in a few hours he would meet him after so many months.

He stepped out and looked around. The place where they had done the ritual in the summer was still a little distant. A stream ran a few yards between the leafless trees. Despite the winter weather, the Fountain of the Fairies was never frozen. Maybe it was thermal or it was simply magic. The brook at his feet was still in a liquid state for it was very close to the small lake.

He wondered how many days he had wandered without worrying about proper hygiene. But he choose a change of clothes for the special occasion. It was an ordinary outfit with a few patches but it was clean.

He undressed quickly and entered the water which did not reach him above the waist line. He lowered himself and submerged still feeling some of the warmth of the spring water.

He washed quickly and got dressed. He wished he had the means to shave but he had no time.

Pulling the horse by the bridle, he walked toward the place that had been so important in their lives.

The closer to the source, the less snow covered the ground. There, on the water's edge, the grass was still visible though not as green as in the summer. He wished he had the patchwork blanket that his friends had offered them that night.

He spread the coarse blanket he carried in his saddle and lay on it, resting his head on his hands. He looked at the sky that would soon show the colors of the sunset. He wished that time would go faster.

A few minutes later, on the lawn, lay a beautiful sculpture of green marble on whose face there was a confident smile.

Castiel awoke from his stillness in the room that had been his for the last few weeks. On the bed - whose sheets had been changed, he found the clothes he had requested from the women, clean and impeccably pressed. Next to them, they had left a blanket again, this time made of soft wool.

He dressed. His hands were shaking. He could not help thinking, with a shiver, that Dean would undress him later, if all went well.

He thought of his handsome face, sprinkled with freckles that reminded Cas of a life spent in the sun. He remembered the sweet, full lips where he had so often found the warmth of kisses and the beauty of smiles. And his eyes of deep green where emotions were always exposed. It wouldn’t be long now. His heart raced remembering all the good moments they had shared.

He put on his boots and before he left the house he looked in the mirror. The face he saw there was pale, covered in a dark beard, his hair still as Charlie had left.  He wished Dean didn’t think he was too thin. He took a deep breath, lit a lamp, and left the house.

When approaching the place he could see the silhouette of Dean, lying at the edge of the lake. A few more steps revealed the green marble. It was the first time he'd seen him like this and it brought tears to his eyes. However, he also saw the smile and that beloved face and he felt a little less sad.

He leaned back against the marble man's chest, snuggling against it and covering the two of them with the blanket. He had not slept for many months, but despite the coolness of the stone, the feeling that united them surfaced, warming him and making him fall asleep.

Castiel saw himself on a very tall tower. From there he could see many miles around. At his side, Dean was leaning against the railing. The bow in his hands was ready to deliver an arrow. But that would not be possible, for the archer was made of stone.

He admired the polished surface of the statue, where the sun was gently reflected. He remembered that he had not seen the sun for months and that an inversion had taken place there because he was the one who lived at night and was petrified by day.

He touched lightly the hand that drew the arrow, tightening the rope. Though cold, he could feel a faint whirring sound, the energy that animated the still-present but frozen man.

In the distance, he saw Crowley riding his horse. He was the target of Dean’s arrow. Castiel tried desperately to pick the bow and arrow from the hardened hands and shoot himself, ending the life of their tormentor.

But Dean remained undisturbed.

He realized then that Crowley's death was not what he wanted and that even if he managed to escape, nothing would change what he really aspired to in life.

He circled the archer's waist with his arm looking at his perfect profile. Slowly, up his arm, an icy sensation hit him. He saw, astonished, when his skin turned bluish and settled into the position he was in. He looked again at Dean's face, which had turned and smiled at him. He slowly wrapped both arms around the statue. They stood together on top of the tallest tower, eternized in marble.

Castiel woke with a start, as if he could not breathe.

He looked again at Dean, who was exactly as he found him not long ago.

Castiel turned his eyes to the sky and on the horizon he perceived the nuances that indicated the arrival of the day. Fearful, he closed them. Soon he would again be a statue and in spite of the closeness they shared they would be eternally apart.

He suppressed a sob and prepared for the inevitable. He opened his eyes and watched as the first ray cleared the sky, announcing the inexorable dawn.

He waited for the moment when he would slide into the void. Why did it seem like it was too late?

Against his body, the cold and the immobility of the stone began to fade.

Castiel watched in awe as Dean's features returned to their natural state, his eyes still closed, the rosy tone replacing the green.

When his eyelids opened and blinked in the dim light, Dean’s body felt the presence of another beside him. He turned his face toward the heat and found Castiel's expectant gaze.

His hand caressed the beloved face, feeling the softness of the beard that had not been there before. Happiness made them hug each other tightly and shed their long-repressed tears.

As they backed to look at each other, they realized that everything seemed to shine. Dragonflies flew around them, even more than they had seen in summer. Their glow was astonishing as it joined in the light of dawn.

The two stood up quickly, hands clasped and faces fascinated at that unique spectacle. At a silent call, they walked together to the edge of the lake and Castiel touched the surface with the index finger once more.

Immediately the familiar figure of the fairy appeared to them, much to Dean's surprise. She looked pleased and held out her other hand to Dean to touch her image.

As the circle closed between them, the men on the shore and the fairy's fingers on the surface of the water, a luminous blast overshadowed them.

The dragonflies were gone, and they found themselves surrounded by many handsome men and women, all dressed in costumes made of flowers, petals, leaves, cobwebs and feathers. Bright wings shone on their backs. The light emanating from them was now soft and enfolded the two lovers gently.

From the water emerged the fairy whom they were in contact with and she greeted them, the words vibrating directly into their minds, perfectly audible and comprehensible:

_"My beloved children, I rejoice to see you gathered here. I feared for you, but I never failed to believe that you would be here on this special day. For a long time the Fairies did not cross into the parallel realm of humans in such large numbers and on an unexpected date as this. But the call of true love is too clamorous to be ignored. "_

Castiel, who had already met her, addressed her respectfully:

"My lady, we thank you for your presence. Nothing makes us feel as blessed as the light emanating from your people. Can we believe that ... " his voice failed for a moment " ...the curse has been broken? "

_Seeing you as I see you here, I want to believe that it has. But it is imperative that we know if any remnants of it will continue to exist after this meeting. "_

"Remnants?" Asked Castiel, confused. “I don’t understand.”

_"Yes, my son, some proof of this evil act that has been committed against you."_

It was Dean's turn to speak:

"My lady, when you speak of a concrete proof... I saw the person who did this to us take away two pieces of marble that had been locks of our hair..."

_"Yes, beloved son. There is, then, still an obstacle that must be destroyed in order to obtain the definitive end of the effects of the spell imposed upon you. "_

The confusion took the minds of the two, who feared to revert to the former state. Before they could verbalize their fears, the fairy spoke again:

_"I see in your mind, Dean Winchester, that you know where these pieces of stone are."_

"In my mind?" He asked, puzzled.

_“Yes. Your fetters are under black waters in the form of a jewel forged with the fragments of marble. You must destroy it. "_

Dean remembered a dream he had one of those days he was stuck in the gorge. He dreamt of a dark lake surrounded by high mountains. He nodded, understanding what they had to do.

_"Fear not, my children. You will be under our direct protection for a few days. You shall not feel the effects of the curse during one moon at which time you shall seek and destroy the jewel. "_

Dean squeezed Castiel's hand and looked him straight in the eye. He shook his head in agreement.

 _“But before..."_ the fairy spoke again, in a voice more melodious than ever _"... you must strengthen the bonds before the Sacred Fountain. We will be the silent witnesses of your love."_

Castiel smiled.

One by one, each representative of the fairy realm returned to their dragonfly form, until, at last, they all wavered around the lovers.

Finally, the fairy who had spoken to them disappeared under the placid waters, leaving them alone in the company of each other.

Wordless, other than their own whispered names, their eager hands sought contact with bare skin.

Oscillating between urgency and delicacy, they stripped each other of their robes. Dean ran his fingers over Castiel's now protruding ribs and his eyes turned sad. Castiel however, smiled at him and brought him closer so that his lips could meet.

The scorching kiss spread its warmth as they settled on the blanket. Dean pulled Castiel over him and his hands stroked his back before they came down and caressed his buttocks. His nails lightly scratched at the skin and Dean felt Cas shiver under his touch.

Castiel's impatient mouth was already wandering around Dean's jaw and neck, kissing and nibbling, tasting the skin and leaving marks that claimed him as his own.

His erect members brushed against each other in a delicious friction they had desired for months.

Dean rolled them over. He started kissing the chest of the man he loved. He was lost in Castiel moans as he licked and sucked his pale skin.

He continued down, leaving wet kisses down his abdomen, delighting in the sharp recesses of his hips, before wrapping his own lips around his hard cock. He devoted himself diligently to giving pleasure to the Castiel, feeling happy to know that it was possible now.

When Castiel’s fingers in his hair warned him that the climax was imminent, Dean continued to stimulate him until completion. Castiel felt in a high state of consciousness after so long waiting for Dean to be this close.

As Dean slipped two fingers over his lover’s lips, Cas opened them to lick the digits. Dean prepared him lovingly. Castiel received the intrusion with pleasure, reaching for Dean’s mouth with his own.

The two bodies moved in unison, surrounded by the soft glow of the fairies. When Dean reached orgasm, Castiel embraced him, receptive and affectionate, his face bathed in tears of happiness.

Moments later they rose and walked hand in hand to the edge of the fountain, where they entered together. The water was warm and pleasant as they embraced, feeling only the presence of each other.


	18. Family

Dean and Castiel watched the fairies leave and stayed near the fountain for a while before they walked to the house where Cas was living with their friends. The two men could not get close enough, so they walked hand in hand and tried to express all the feelings they had not been able for so many months.

When they got there it was almost lunch time and on the table there was a meal, left by those who helped them. There were fruit, bread, meat and several dishes which were obviously brought from the kitchens of the palace. Gabriel should have sent them.

They sat down and ate, sharing everything that had happened at that time when they had been apart. Castiel told Dean about the monastery and his friend Frank, who had aided him in the research and was the guardian of the forgotten books.

Dean, on the other hand, told Castiel his plans for revenge and how disillusioned he was during those lonely months. And how all that lost its importance after everything he'd seen along the way. He knew that Crowley would perish by his own conduct, taking with him the two red-haired women. He only felt that the people of two kingdoms had to suffer the consequences of the ambition of few, seeing their lands devastated and the work of so many years destroyed.

Castiel told him of his dream of Crowley under Dean's arrow while trying to run away. Dean told his lover his dreams too, specially the one that mattered now about the lake surrounded by high mountains. The water, he recalled, was dark and unchanging, both attractive and frightening. He saw himself undressing and jumping in the water. Darkness and cold engulfed him but a fleeting light was visible from that distance. The soft glow showed him the way. He swam deeper and deeper. There was no life in that barren body of water. The deeper he went, the more his lungs burned, but the light was fascinating. On the sandy bottom of the lake, he finally discovered the source of the light. There were two statues. One of them was holding the sun in its hands, made of the most precious gold. The other carried a silver moon around its neck tied to a heavy chain. The sculptures seemed to extend their hands to each other and their faces bore identical expressions of hope and happiness even though they were not able to touch.

Comparing their dreams, they came to the conclusion that they all brought some hope and shed some light to every important aspect of their story, arising from the bond that united them. It had been love and the fairy spell working together in their minds.

When the meal was over, Dean was unable to suppress a yawn. Those months of tension and lack of sleep were all requiring him to rest, preparing him for what was to come.

Castiel took him by the hand and led him into the bedroom, where he gently undressed him again. There was no other warmth in his touch than the love that moved him. They were relaxed and aware that it was as important a moment as those of passion they shared at the Fountain.

They lay down on soft and fresh sheets, breathing the same air, their arms loosely wrapped around each other. The fact that they should always be together gave them a tranquility that they had never known before. They fell asleep lulled by the ethereal and distant song of the fairies.

Sam, Charlie, Gilda and Kevin waited in the nearby village. Sam, moved by the fraternal bond, longed to see Dean but the others convinced him to give them some privacy.

Still, when the short winter afternoon was almost turning into night, they could no longer wait. They left the tavern where they were and returned to the house. They found it in the dark and for a moment they feared for the fate of the lovers.

When they lit a lamp, they could see that the meal had been consumed and that two plates had been used. A sigh of relief was audible in the tiny kitchen. Charlie headed for the room Castiel had been using and when she saw the door closed she smiled.

Sam stepped past and shoved her with a friendly gesture, half-opening the door and let a gag of light through it. He saw two heads against the pillows, their bodies hidden under the blankets. They were snoring softly.

He closed the door again and walked away, content. The curse had been finally broken.

The friends prepared another meal and waited, talking in low voices. Their tranquility was interrupted by the sound of hooves of a rapidly approaching horse. Sam got up and pulled the coarse curtain to see if it could be any threat.

Gabriel's small-statured figure dismounted and made his way toward the cabin.

"What happened? Why didn’t you call me?" Before he could be stopped he entered the house and unceremoniously opened the door where the two former captains were still asleep.

"Thank Heaven!" He exclaimed, waking them up. Immediately he turned and said, looking away, joy in his voice: "And they are already rolling in bed again... Cassie, you tiger! Get up, there are a lot of people who want to talk to you!"

He came out laughing and closing the door loudly. The couple in bed could only look at each other and smile. Castiel did not even waste his time being embarrassed by Gabriel's mocking and inopportune demeanor. Both were fortunate to have brothers who loved them, each in his own way.

Reluctant, because they would like to spend some more hours there making up for lost time, they got up and dressed. Dean, before they left the room, ran his fingers through Cas’ dark, disheveled hair and then down his cheek, where his beard still seemed a little strange, but not at all less perfect. He shuddered at the memory of it against his torso hours earlier.

With a kiss and a smile, they opened the door to face the anxious family outside.

"Is it not over yet, then?" Sam frowned.

"Once we destroy the jewel we'll be free, Sam," said Castiel, trying to look less apprehensive than he actually was. He needed to keep the confidence that they could take care of the task in time.

"We need to go to the central library to find out the location of the lake that I saw in a dream. Then we will prepare for the journey, which will be hard now that there are battles taking place almost everywhere. "

 Sam touched his brother's shoulder:

"I'd like to join you." Dean and Cas looked at each other because they wouldn’t want to expose anyone else to danger. "Please, Dean, let me join you."

"Sam ..." Dean started and stopped, Gabriel having slapped his back.

"Deano, Deano, you won’t get rid of us. We'll go with you to make sure you sort this mess out once and for all...We need to be sure you two won’t get involved in any other mess!" He laughed, his eyes sparkling at the possibility of seeing some action on the other side of the palace walls. "Besides, I think I can get us some special traveling papers that will make it easier to travel wherever we want to go."

The two men reluctantly agreed. They could count on two more pairs of hands to make sure the jewel was destroyed.

Gabriel took Dean to the fortress later that night so he could talk to Father Singer about the lake where the jewel would be. In order to enter without arousing suspicion, the jester had made the former captain of the archers wear women's clothing, borrowed from Gilda and Charlie.

Dean, resignedly, followed behind the brother of his beloved. Gabriel was enjoying that situation all too much.

As they entered through the main gate one of the guards made a joke about Gabriel having _"'bitten more than he could chew'_ because of the obvious difference in height between the two. Gabe had only approached Dean and helped him get off the horse, where he was sitting on his side, like a woman. After having him by his side he patted Dean’s buttocks, over the ample skirt, with an obscene smile. Dean had to control himself at the unexpected touch. It was part of the disguise, after all, and he refrained from striking the hand he considered offensive. He shrank back into the hood of his cape, pretending to be embarrassed by the crude gesture in front of the soldiers.

Soon they entered the great library and sought the wise man who could help them deciphering the enigma.

Father Singer and his friend Frank were engaged in a discussion about military strategy, which Dean never thought it would be a subject of two monks' debate. He was introduced to the monk Deveraux by Gabriel.

Frank held out his hand to the freckled young man with an evaluative eye, like a father examining the suitor at his daughter's hand. Dean felt naked before the peering eye of the older man. He relaxed, however, when the other gave him a small smile. He approved of Castiel's choice even though he was wearing a dress and frilled petticoats at the moment.

Dean and Gabriel left the palace with a map of the northeastern part of the kingdom, the province of Stull. The highest mountains were located there. Singer had supposed it to be the location of the lake described by Dean. His assumption was corroborated by the fact that it was a body of water completely devoid of life, quite deep and dark, having been the scene of some strange facts throughout the history of its people, in other ages, when the knowledge of magic was much more widespread.

Gabriel said goodbye to Dean, promising to meet them the next morning to begin the journey. He would bring them the documents so they could travel quietly at least along the roads where Lawrence's soldiers were still in control.

Upon arriving at the house where the improvised family was gathered, he realized that everyone had gone to bed except Castiel, who waited anxiously for his return. He could not help worrying when he felt that Dean was too close to the king.

 Two warm arms enveloped Dean. From Castiel’s lips just words of relief and love were uttered. In no time they closed the bedroom door behind them to enjoy, once again, the exclusive company of each other, in the silence of the night.

  

At daybreak, four horsemen were ready. Gabriel had brought Castiel’s sword which was a family heirloom. Dean and Sam had their bows used in so many hunts. Even Gabriel, averse to the use of weapons – he always considered his sharp words his best weapon - brought a short sword.

They expected to return only after almost two weeks after they ended the curse forever.

When their friends saw the group disappear in the distance their hearts seemed heavy, for they know it wouldn’t be an easy task. But they had to believe that a love as pure and strong as that of Dean and Castiel was still possible in the world.


	19. The search

The four riders decided to travel as far as possible from the capital on their way to the northeast region of the kingdom. Dean had been in his exile farther west, so he didn’t know that province. They could only follow the map provided by the librarian and try to stay away from military complications.

Gabriel told them that few troops occupied the area but that there were some detachments, nevertheless, as a precaution. Abaddon's forces came from the northwest, but there were rumors that Hades was conspiring to join forces with the kingdom to the east, ruled by Queen Naomi. If this happened, Lawrence would be completely crushed, attacked from both sides.

They had traveling papers provided by the jester which allowed them to pass through the barriers established by the army. He had requested credentials for special intelligence agents and so he thought they could cross much of the territory without being detained.

The time was enough to reach the dark lake, called Karanlik since immemorial times. It was surrounded by high mountains and at this time of the year one could predict a difficult journey, high snow being the biggest hindrance.

The first two days were absolutely quiet because of the anxious state of the men, who wished to arrive at the destination as soon as possible. They encountered only detachments of the Lawrence army and little sign of struggle out there. Gabriel had even made them enjoy dinner in the second army camp, to the unrest of the old captains, who feared to be recognized. But Castiel's beard and the hood over Dean's head were able to ward off that problem. After all, they were regarded as traitors, so they had been arrested and supposedly tried and executed. How could the soldiers suspect these men bearing the credentials of intelligence agents to be their former captains?

On the third day, the fourth of the week that the fairies had given them, they began to climb the steep mountains. There were some trails but they were completely covered in snow. Relying on the map of the library, however, they climbed slowly.

They estimated that it would take them another two days to reach the place they were looking for, which would give them almost a whole day to peer into the bottom of the lake. Dean knew that it was huge but the dream had pointed out the area in which he should search.

Conditions were as difficult as anticipated and when they stopped to rest at night the moods seemed to be quite despondent. Even Gabriel, whose chatter was a constant, was silent that night. They talked only as necessary and each of the brothers sought a more sheltered place to doze for a few hours. Dean and Castiel sat near the fire talking, their hands clasped and their faces somber.

"I understand you have a vision of the place, Dean, but how will you survive the cold? What if the surface is frozen?" It was a consensus that Dean, having had the vision of the lake, should dive into it and find the jewel.

"Father Singer told me that the composition of the waters is too strange to freeze. He told me some horrifying stories of magic that had taken place on the banks of the lake many generations ago. The cold, then, is what I have to worry about. But the cold of turning marble forever is even worse, so there’s no other way out."

Castiel let his hand slip away from Dean's callused fingers and directed it to the freckled face burned by the icy winds. A small caress that conveyed all his feelings. Dean embraced him. His life would be nothing if he did not have the other man at his side.

The last escarpment took from them what they no longer had to give. They came down exhausted at the dawn of the last day of the Faerie moon. There was still a small path to the lake, and they did not stop until they reached it.

They let their eyes get accustomed to the eerie and yet beautiful landscape. The high mountains, on the north side, shaded part of the waters. The outline of the lake was composed of a forest of tall conifers, now covered by a thick layer of snow. The silence around the waters seemed almost clamorous, supernatural.

The men shivered at the thought that soon Dean would dive under the cold surface of the black waters.

Sam had expressed concern about the fact that it was too dark to see anything below the surface, let alone deep down, many meters below.

Dean had a clear memory of how the path to the bottom of the lake had been illuminated, even though the dreams could not be interpreted literally. He knew there would be something to show him the way. He patted his brother's back and asked that he help him remove his excess clothing.

Castiel bated Sam’s hands away and he himself took over the task of undressing Dean, though there were many other occasions where he would find it much more interesting. At the moment he was astonished by the idea of seeing him dive with only his most intimate clothes, a white tunic and thin trousers tied with a drawstring.

Dean shivered, but he did not give up. Castiel hugged him before letting him walk to the sandy shore of the lake. The archer's eyes were clear and he smiled one last time at his lover before diving.

On the bank, the other three men could only watch.

As he sank into the darkness, his heart froze because of the icy sensation of the water against his body. His eyes, however, were pleasantly surprised: his skin was glowing again and he could see a small distance around him.

His breath would not last long, so he decided to sink quickly into the water, following the instinct he felt because of the dream.

When he could hardly bear it, he caught a faint reverberation ahead. Even at that distance, he could see its outline. The jewel that showed the sun and the moon intertwined was at the bottom of the lake, emitting a faint glow.

He rose fast to the surface and, after taking a deep breath, waved to those watching. Still gasping, he said:

"I think I found it. I have to go down again. It's very deep."

Sam and Gabriel looked at each other and smiled. Castiel, however, kept his serious face, too worried that his companion had to dive in those scary waters.

Breathing in again, Dean submerged. This time he moved quickly, straight to the point where the artifact was. His lungs burned with the effort.

 When he could clearly see the stone and gold piece a few feet away, he held out his right hand toward it. However, as he approached it a gigantic animal appeared out of the shadows and circled the jewel, its eyes sparkling in the darkness.

Dean opened his mouth in shock and began to choke. He swam up again at the highest speed possible. This time he swam in broad strokes to the shore.

His face was livid. He could not articulate any word at first.

"Dean!" Castiel was shaking him, massaging his arms to instill some heat. "What happened?"

"There is... a creature... down there… guarding the jewel..." he said, amid an uncontrollable coughing.

"Creature? What kind of creature? "Sam asked, flustered.

"It looks like... a snake ... it has a beak instead of a mouth... it has flaming eyes."

"Is it a real animal or a supernatural creature?" Sam asked, interested. "From the description it seems to be a moray eel. But these waters have no source of food... It must be magical, nonetheless."

Gabriel could not say anything at all. His wit had disappeared in the face of the possibility of a creature of magical origin in those waters.

 "You can’t dive again, Dean. You need to rest ... "Castiel began.

"No, Cas, I have to go back there! The jewel was so close... "

"I can’t watch you die trying to get it!"

"We have no choice, it's our last chance ..."

Castiel got up and before anyone could say anything, he began to undress. Dean tried to talk to him, but nothing could stop him from accompanying him, wielding his sword.

Gabriel tried to hold his brother's arm, but soon realized it was in vain. He handed him a small dagger to put on the waistband of his trousers as an extra weapon.

Dean took his quiver and crossed it behind his back. The bow was not useful under water, but he could use the arrows to harpoon the creature.

They walked side by side to the shore and dived.

Sam ran his hand nervously through his long hair, looking at Gabriel, who had just closed his eyes in a silent prayer.

The combined glow of the two allowed them to see better underwater. They looked ahead trying to catch a glimpse of the jewel.

Approaching quickly, it was Castiel's turn to extend his arm, only to have the horrid animal's tail wrapped around it.

Dean poked the creature's neck with one of his arrows, obscuring the water with a black substance. Castiel, still stuck, wielded his sword in the direction of its head, but it loosened itself away, leaving a dark blood trail.

The archer took the jewel on the sandy bed where he had been resting and signaled for Castiel to accompany him. They were about to drown and needed to rise to the surface.

Dean went ahead, but soon realized the other man wasn’t at his side. Looking back, he saw him struggling. Castiel was fighting, trying to get rid of the tail of the moray that was wrapped around his ankle.

He came back and tried to strike again with one of his arrows, but the animal anticipated his movement and gnawed painfully at his wrist.

They were now three involved in a fierce fight, where humans had the weakest stand since they need desperately to breathe.

Castiel, in a desperate gesture, waved his sword, striking the beast's head, which was disoriented for a moment but didn’t let go of Dean's arm.

He shook the blade again in the direction of the undulating body. The wounded animal left a dark trail of blood around it, making impossible to see clearly.

By a stroke of luck, the metal hit the flesh, sinking into it. Castiel could only pray for it to have hit the creature, not Dean.

In a few moments, however, the water became even more blurred and out of the blackness, Dean's hand, still with the head of the moray hanging on it, grabbed Cas's tunic and pulled him to the surface, the jewel in his other fist.

Sam had not stopped pacing while they were underwater. Only a few minutes passed, but to his ragged nerves, it seemed like an eternity.

When he saw them rise to the surface, coughing and choking, he walked into the water to pull them out, covered in a dark liquid. Dean still carried the animal's head around his wrist, the creature’s eyes now dead in the daylight.

The two fell to the ground, their hands still clutching one another's clothes. Sam tried to open the jaw of the moray, to get Dean out of the sharp teeth that stuck tightly into his flesh. He pulled it to fracture the joint and then ripped the two parts of head off Dean's wrist. Blood flowed copiously from the wound.

Gabriel, acting quickly, took Castiel's belt and with it made a tourniquet on the injured arm, trying to staunch the blood flow.

Despite the dramatic situation, the men managed to smile when Dean showed the closed hand that contained what they had came for.

However when Dean opened his fingers to reveal the beauty of polished gold and marble, Sam and Gabriel's eyes widened.

In a swift and precise movement, Gabriel seized the jewel. In a few seconds he mounted his horse and rode away fast.


	20. Stratagem

Dean and Castiel had little time to react, still out of breath from the dive. They had heard Sam cursing aloud and set off on horseback in pursuit of Gabriel, who was moving away fast, skirting the lake.

Dean didn’t hesitate. Taking his bow, he glanced toward Gabriel, though Castiel protested with a cry. The arrow had already left the rope when the dark-haired man grabbed Dean's arm.

Castiel watched, horrified, when his brother was knocked off his mount, hit in the thigh. He saw also when Sam dismounted and approached, removing the jewel from Gabriel’s hand. He could not understand why the jester did it.

But when Sam looked at the jewel and smiled, mounting again and setting off, both of them came to the conclusion that they could only explain that irregular behavior on account of magic.

Castiel mounted, still dripping, going to Gabriel, who was rolling on the ground, holding his leg.

Dean pointed again, but this time his hands failed, not being able to hurt his own brother.

He then scampered in pursuit of the long-haired young man who was beginning to ride into the woods. Both were accustomed to that environment and they rode as fast as possible between the trunks and branches of the trees, the ground covered with high snow in some points.

Dean watched him escape quickly. He could not help it. He took another arrow and pointed it at him.

 With a quick gesture, the arrow left the bow.

Sam fell, crashing into a log, hit by an arrow to his shoulder.

When Dean returned with Sam on the saddle, wounded and unconscious, he held the jewel firmly in his fist.

Gabriel was sitting by the fire, Castiel pulling the arrow from the flesh, the tip that was coming from the other side already removed. Although the pain was tremendous, shame was the emotion on Gabriel’s face. He could not understand what had motivated him to act the way he did.

Sam also received a blow to the head, besides the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Blood dripped from both wounds. Before Dean could remove the big man from the saddle, Castiel's hand touched his shoulder. He offered a warm coat for the wet clothes seemed to freeze around their bodies.

The two of them pulled Sam down together and dealt first with the gash on his forehead, which fortunately was not deep. The arrow, however, had lodged its tip close to the bone and would require a surgeon to remove it. They then cut off only the final part of it, cleaning the wound as possible. Dean felt very sad that he had to do it, but it was more thing to add to the list of charges he intended to make to Crowley and Rowena.

In a violent gesture, he tossed the jewel that was in his pocket on the ground and stepped on it with hatred. Castiel pushed him away with a gentle touch and struck the stone and gold with the sword that was inherited from his ancestors.

Fragments were hurled away, the pieces of stone turning to strands of hair again and the gold disappearing in midair.

Dean dropped to his knees exhausted by the search and all that it had taken from them. Castiel, his face wet, came and embraced him.

The curse was finally broken.


	21. War

Returning to the capital there was no avoiding the army camps. Gabriel and Sam needed medical attention. Dean felt responsible for causing the wounds of the two brothers who helped ending the curse that plagued them.

Gabriel then explained what he had felt at the sight of the jewel. An irresistible attraction had overpowered him, so he knew he could kill, if necessary, to have it. The four reached the conclusion that it should be a defense mechanism of the artifact with the intention of keeping them under the domain of the spell forever. After the jewel was destroyed neither could see any interest in it.

Despite complaining of the pain and discomfort of riding injured, Gabriel carried the wound as a reward. For those who lived a life inside the castle walls, sheltered, returning home from an important mission with a scar was something to be proud of. If he intended to come up with a wonderful story to explain it, it was totally like the jester. Castiel knew that the scar would play an important role in his brother's love conquests thereafter.

Sam's wound, on the other hand, was grave and needed more attention. Dean did what he could to see him comfortable, but he knew it would take time for him to regain his movements completely. But Sam said that he didn’t intend to be a soldier or archer and that for librarians and scholars those movements would not be essential. The freckled man knew his brother was talking so he would not feel too guilty about what had happened. Dean often tended to take all the blame in most situations.

Fortunately, the two former captains managed to pass incognito by the commanders of the detachments further north, where they spent three days for medical care. The food was not the best either, but at least it was hot and they had shelter at night.

Dean and Castiel made plans in a small tent, farther away from the headquarters. They had every right and need to make them:

"Is Queen Naomi a relative of your family?" Dean asked, surprised.

 "It's a distant kinship, but it would be beneficial if we wanted to continue our military careers, Dean. If there is no more place in Lawrence for us. "

"At the moment, I can only think of a quiet place to take root, Cas. Who knows... could we buy a farm? "

"Do you know anything about that?" Castiel asking jokingly. He knew the answer.

"You can always learn. Didn’t I become Captain of the Archers? I think I can do anything after that! "

"You are a born leader, an expert archer and you learn fast. You were born to be Captain of the Archers."

Dean answered only with a warm smile. The camp was no place for public displays of affection, but his eyes could not lie when it came to Castiel.

"I had a good teacher. A bit strict, but he was an expert. "

Castiel smiled back at him, the urge to touch him almost unbearable. But they would have the rest of their lives for that now.

"I was talking about Professor Gables, of course ..." he amended, teasing the person he had loved most in his life.

"Of course, Gables is known for his knowledge _and_ discipline."

"Now, if you need a teacher who is all that and also sexy..." he said, bringing his hand to his face still covered by his dark beard and touching Castiel's rosy lips with his.

"Dean ..." was what Castiel could say before giving himself up for brief contact.

"The beard... do you intend to cut it off?"

"Yes. I considered it the symbol of my sadness. There is no more reason for keeping it."

"Let me shave it for you... I mean... when we get back."

 "Dean ..." he said again, before kissing him this time.

In the morning the camp was in an uproar. Messengers had brought news from the capital and the soldiers were agitated. They said that the fortress was about to fall, that the King no longer had conditions to rule.

Those were disquieting news and the four decided to leave as soon as possible. They feared for their friends. Perhaps they still had time to take refuge in a neighboring kingdom.

The roads were in total confusion, so they decided to ride through the woods. The days were cold, but it didn’t snow, which was a relief.

Upon reaching the plateau of the capital, a large encampment, the largest they had ever encountered, stretched ahead of them. Here the news were contradictory. Some gave Crowley as defeated, others said he had fled, and others, over-optimistically, saw Lawrence's victory as imminent.

They did not waste any time there, heading for the city without delay. What they saw upon looking at the fortress rendered them speechless.

The area around the fortress was burned to the ground. The houses and the farms, everything had been consumed by the fighting. They could not know what had happened to the population, but they supposed it was sheltered within the walls, although the conditions there also should be precarious.

Gabriel and Sam intended to enter the fortress, if possible. Each had his own interests to take care of, though their fellow travelers wished they would stay away. Dean and Castiel would go to the house where they had stayed before, in order to pack and leave. That land could not offer them anything else.

When they reached the cottage, they found it empty. There was no sign of occupation in the last days. They decided to stay there for at least the moment, while what they were going to do next was not yet clear.

They took time to rest and enjoy each other's company even if they were concerned with the others.

By nightfall of the second day, Kevin came rushing. He seemed incoherent at first, but when the old captains heard the story, they could no longer keep out of the game.

According to him, Crowley had gone mad. He had arrested a large number of courtiers, for the most futile reasons. The last to go had been Gabriel, for being away when he was needed most. He was now in the overcrowded dungeon.

Others also suffered from the outrage of the one who dared to call himself King: Father Singer and his friend Frank had been arrested for high treason and found incommunicado in the dreaded tower where Dean and Castiel had been kept.

The war had been a mistake. Abaddon's troops came prepared and it seems they were winning many more battles than might have been expected, even though the Queen was still locked in the dungeons.

"What about Rowena?" Castiel asked. She was a very important piece on that board.

"She is isolated in her quarters on her own free will. It is said that she is awaiting the fall of his son to take power or ally herself with the enemy. Crowley does not seem to notice the viper he holds at his breast. "

Both Castiel and Dean were resolute after that. They feared for their brothers and their friends. They could not just leave. Whoever stayed there would suffer harshly.

"We can’t avoid it any more, Dean. Even if this kingdom doesn’t want us, we have a responsibility to the people and our friends. " Castiel said solemnly.

Dean just wanted to get away and never come back, but his sense of duty was strong. They decided that they would try to free their friends, after all none of them had never refused to help them.

They left before dawn and went as secretly as possible to the city. There was, however, a moment when they could no longer escape the action. There was no way to approach the wall without entering the battle that was unfolding.

The walls were marked by fire and the proximity of the fortress was still the scene of the most fierce skirmishes. Castiel saw several of his former colleagues lifeless on the battlefield. His chest was filled with immeasurable revolt. All this had been the fruit of Crowley's greed, his thirst for power. How could they not have seen what he could do? He still rembembered  King Chuck with his benevolence and love for Culture. How could he have chosen such an evil man? He had served him faithfully for many years and could not understand.

Dean did not leave Castiel's side, even though they fought hard. After getting close enough to the wall on the opposite side of the main gate, where they intended to sneak through one of the hidden passages only known to Lawrence's soldiers. They approached the entrance only to see it barred.

Castiel said that with the royal forces so weakened they would be accepted without many questions, in particular because there were soldiers from all over the kingdom fighting there and they might be able to pass somehow unnoticed.

Approaching the entrance, he offered the password to be admitted to the fortress. The soldier who guarded it was a former subordinate of Castiel, and when he heard the low voice he could not control a smile.

"Captain!" He exclaimed upon seeing him.

However, the smile was immediately erased by a sword that passed through his back, killing him instantly. Horrified at the cowardly execution, Castiel took a step back. He feared that this entry had been taken by the other army, but when he saw who was responsible for the unthinkable act, his face turned red.

 In front of him, with a bloody sword in his hand, was Bartholomew. He bowed to Castiel, saying in a mocking tone the word that the dead soldier had uttered:

_"Captain..."_

The former and the current Captain looked at each other. Hostility was open. Dean, recognizing him from the day of his summary apprehension in the house of Cas, wanted to kill the traitor and murderer, but a look of Castiel told him not to interfere.

As the battle unfolded outside, in the fields, there was another inside. The subalterns did not dare to move, watching with curious eyes what was happening.

Castiel unsheathed his sword and a fierce fighting ensued. Bartholomew was known as a skilled swordsman, but it was no match for Castiel, even more so in the state he was in after all he had spent in those months of terror.

When Castiel fell and his sword was thrown away by an unfair blow, Bartholomew tried to finish the fight, but one of the soldiers put the foot out for him to trip, being summarily executed by the captain. This time, however, there was enough time for Castiel to crawl near his sword. When Bartholomew came up and raised his sword to strike him, Castiel rolled over the blade on the ground, the hilt pointing to the opposite side.

As Bartholomew bowed over Castiel's body, the latter raised the point of the sword and struck it full in the traitor’s abdomen. He lost his balance and continued to fall until he was totally impaled on the sword of the former captain.

Dean now expected the worst. Castiel had taken the life of the Royal Guard Captain, after all.

For a moment, the silence in the room was almost palpable, before the guards shouted the name of their previous Captain. They were loyal to him, and under his command they would continue to fight. Dean was also welcomed among the soldiers.

In a few minutes, they ran through the crowded courtyard toward the dungeons.

Castiel had been taken to the cell area by one of his commandos. Although his old garrison was faithful to him, not everyone knew that he was not really a traitor so he had to be careful.

He had thick chains around his arms. Dean was chained too. As he approached the cell where Gabriel was his brother greeted him, as always, in a jocular tone:

"Did you come to join our party, little brother?" And then Castiel noticed that the jester was the only man in that cell, among half a dozen, at least, Abaddon's companions. When she had been removed from her quarters, the women had been transferred to that place. Only Gabriel possessed enough ability and talent to be placed there with them when he was arrested.

Dean just shook his head and laughed. He liked his future brother-in-law.

They freed the jester and the ladies, several of whom declared themselves in debt to Gabriel. One of them, a beautiful young woman with black hair and dark skin, clearly a foreigner in Lawrence's land, fell to her knees, begging for Gabriel to take her away. Castiel realized that this was the woman who had made him fall madly in love. He took the initiative and made her get off the ground, leading her out, before the startled look of Gabriel.

While they parleyed to decide the best course of action to rescue Father Singer and Frank Devereaux, a trumpet sound was heard. The confusion inside the walls quieted down for a moment. The sound was repeated, insistently. Whoever could, tried to climb up the stairs, in order to see what was happening outside the outer walls.

As Castiel and Dean ran to the top of the wall and leaned forward to look, they were greeted with an absolutely unbelievable sight: Hades' army was calling for the cessation of hostilities, hoisting a white flag.


	22. The Emissary

Confusion had settled inside the walls. Some said it was another trick of Queen Abaddon just to confuse them and win the war. Others did not believe in this alternative, preferring to believe that the war was coming to an end.

Dean and Castiel did not know what to think when they saw the white flags unfurled on the battle-ravaged field. The weary soldiers gladly accepted the pause, whatever the reason. They needed some time to care for their wounded.

They had to think about a new course of action. They still had to free Singer and Deveraux, but with this turnaround, it was not a good time.

At this moment they saw Sam climbing the stairs that led to the upper level, with his arm still in a sling. He also wanted to see what was going on outside. As he moved, his eyes met his brother's, and an alarmed frown appeared on his face.

"Dean! What are you doing here? "He asked, panting, staring at each of them with a disapproving look.

"We came to free Gabriel and, if possible, Father Singer and his friend, who are in the tower. We were thinking of taking all of you out of the kingdom, but now ... we need to think before we act, after what’s unfolding outside. "

Sam looked through a window. The skirmishes had ceased, the two armies finally gathered each by their side of the field. Still, the ground was covered with dead and wounded men.

In the distance Sam spotted something and pointed to them. A column of soldiers, with a banner different from that used by Abaddon's legions, was approaching. It was not a large detachment, but among the pavilions were also the white flags of the truce.

When it finally arrived and joined their soldiers at the front, the group stopped. Among them, an emissary in fine robes stepped forward and walked as far as he was permitted to the gates, requesting an audience with the King.

Crowley appeared, from the highest point of the wall, shouting insults and claiming that this was a ploy to take his fortress.

When Castiel looked up, he was sure Crowley had lost his mind. His face was filled with unrestrained fury, when a peaceful solution was what he should want, such was the state of his kingdom after the conflict.

The envoy spoke again, asking for an opportunity to talk about peace. He was willing to parley. The old man said that there were facts that should be explained and that would make the more recent events to be seen in a new light. He reiterated that it was a matter of great urgency and that it should be dealt with without further ado.

Crowley refused to listen to the voice of reason, and his subjects began to shout out to him to allow the petitioner to enter. They saw the possibility for the end of that terrible conflict.

The sovereign disappeared for a moment, moving away from the parapet, heading toward the center of turret where he was. He came back immediately, pushing Queen Abaddon into the wall with violence. The woman who had impressed everyone with her beauty and sumptuousness, surprised everyone by the pitiful state she was in. The beautiful hair had been cut roughly, close to the scalp. The fine robes had been replaced by the filthiest rags, and she looked thin and weakened.

Crowley approached and shouted to the Queen's countrymen that they could take her if they wished. She had been a disappointment and he hated her with all her might.

The man with a distinctive white beards and haughty stance spoke again, saying that there were succession questions to be discussed and that he would like to do so in private, not in the public eye. But the king of Lawrence wanted nothing more than to vent his frustration and continue on that course with no possibility of success. He exclaimed at the top of his lungs:

"Go home, old man! Mind your own business! There is nothing to discuss but compensation for this extremely disadvantageous union for me." He said with his teeth bared wildly.

"You leave me no choice, Your Majesty. I will speak from here then, before your subjects. Queen Abaddon, whom you took as a wife, is not the legal heir to the throne of Hades. Her rise was part of a coup by a group of unscrupulous people. The real king and his family were driven out of the country and a reign of terror was established under the conspirators. Abaddon is nothing more than a puppet in the hands of these people. Your marriage to her has been orchestrated to annex your kingdom to Hades in order to be ruled by these individuals. It is painful to say, but you also fell victim to these conspirators. Only they would benefit from this war and Your Majesty was also just an instrument in their nefarious plans. "

"Crowley is no one's puppet, stupid! I'm not interested in the Hades government or its internal problems. I want you to go and take your people with you. Leave us alone!" His words lacked coherence, and his people were once again ashamed to be ruled by such a low man.

"Your Majesty does not understand. The conspirators in Hades had the help of at least one person from Lawrence. This person would benefit from war and would ascend to power in this realm as soon as Your Majesty would be eliminated. "

"And who would be the person capable of manipulating me, as you say? Few people are able to surpass me in intelligence and cunning."

"That matter should be addressed in particular, Your Majesty."

"Speak out, old wretch! Who is this person who thought on deceiving me? "

"Well... it's the Queen Mother, Your Majesty."

From Crowley's lips a ghastly howl left. In a violent and unthinking gesture, he threw himself at the woman with whom he was married and who was still leaning against the wall in a completely defeated attitude. He took her in his arms and with disdain threw her over the rail. She had no reaction at all nor did she even try to defend herself. Her lifeless body then lay in the courtyard of the palace, contorted in an unnatural position.

The people inside the walls shouted in horror. How had Lawrence's peaceful Kingdom come to that? Many people started running and the confusion settled.

Dean saw the possibility they had been waiting for. He nodded to Castiel and Sam, suggesting that they follow him.

By less direct routes, pointed by Castiel, they reached the door to the long staircase that led to the tower. There were no sentries, since pandemonium had settled in the fortress. The two captains ran up the stairs and found the door unlocked. They pushed it to find the two old men hanging on the walls where they also had been, a few months before. There was sign of violence, but they were relatively well.

While Dean and Castiel freed them from the chains, Sam guarded the entrance, but no one approached. They went down and the young men supported the elders. When they reached the hall, they sought refuge in Gabriel's old room. He was certainly far by now.

Giving them some water, Sam asked how they were. The two men were resilient and ready to move on. Their eyes were full of courage, and Dean knew it was alright, they had not allowed themselves to be broken.

Surreptitiously they started back the way they had come. They needed to get Devereaux and Singer out.

However, as they crept along one of the side passages, they found nothing less than the Queen Mother trying to escape without being noticed, carrying only a bundle of clothes. When she realized who the two men were, she tried to run to the opposite side.

Dean froze for a moment where he was, eyes sparking. If Castiel had not restrained him, he would probably have killed her right there. But she was accused of a grave crime in two kingdoms. She would have to face justice.

Castiel restrained her and locked her in one of the rooms in that wing of the castle. It was a small, windowless room. Before leaving, he wrote a note and handed it to one of his faithful soldiers. It was to be delivered to his friend Balthazar. He would know what to do, and he would not be caught in Rowena's clutches.

They left the fortress and went to their place of refuge near the fountain. There they met Kevin, Gabriel, and the woman they had freed, Kali. They were all tired and hungry.

Sam and Kevin, who were the youngest, decided that they would return immediately to the capital and try to discover how the tense situation would develop thereafter. Dean wanted very much to accompany them, but Castiel needed help caring for the old men. Besides, he did not want to leave Castiel’s side anytime soon.

Next morning, after a night when nobody slept, they were all sitting around a table. Castiel wanted to know what had been the charge that took Singer and Deveraux to be arrested as traitors, but in fact he knew that these things happened without reason. Crowley ordered it and it was done.

"Frank and I were researching in the library and we found evidence that Crowley was not originally chosen by Chuck to succeed him. Crowley has always been a master of political articulations, but in possession of what we find we could question his government. He seems to have forged documents that pointed him as successor, to the detriment of the true new king."

"Why doesn’t that surprise me?" Dean asked. "Who should have been Chuck's successor?"

"It should have been Minister Harvelle, but he died a few days before the king, remember? In a hunting accident. We thought he knew Chuck's plans and interfered when the king was already sick and weak."

"Bill Harvelle was an honorable man, he would have been a righteous king." Castiel finally said.

"And what are we going to do with this information?" Gabriel asked uneasily.

"First we need to know how the situation in the capital is," Castiel said. "After everything that happened yesterday, it seems to me that Crowley is trapped."

The air in the room was heavy. The determination to abandon the country had left Castiel and Dean now that their kingdom was ready to crumble. They were patriots and never wanted to give up. The kingdom needed all its people to rebuild it. Maybe they'd even buy a farm, Castiel thought. People needed to eat and they were strong, they could help in some way.

Kevin came back with news. Sam had located his friends and they were giving him shelter.

The development of the action had been drastic, he said.

Crowley tried to gather as many soldiers as he could to invest against the real emissaries of Hades, even though they continued to display the white flags. Between the ministers and generals, however, a split occurred, only part of them had accepted the king's orders, those whose involvement in corruption was deeper. Balthazar had led the revolt, guiding the other faction and imprisoning the ministers and the king.

Castiel was pleased that his friend, despite so many years accustomed to the luxurious life in court could have shown his true face again. He had been a valiant young man and his essence had not changed after so many years involved in the endless intrigues around him.

Talks with the emissaries of the neighboring country would begin that afternoon. Crowley was to be tried as an accessory to Rowena's action.

Father Singer stood up, followed closely by Frank, as if wordless communication had transpired between them.

In the face of Kevin's perplexed stare, unaware of the facts the two had discovered, Dean said:

"Father, you are not in condition to ride."

"For a long time I had my suspicions, my son, and yet it was only when my old friend Frank arrived that I could search harder and discover the ploy. I feel young again, Dean. Let us do what is necessary."

Faced with such a show of determination, no one could oppose him. Castiel and Dean also got up and were ready to accompany them to the capital.


	23. Epilog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the epilog but there's a timestamp which will follow as chapter 24.

The country was in chaos, specially its capital. The soldiers of Hades were withdrawn and returned home. The emissary of the royal family of the neighboring country had been invited to enter and settle in the palace, but in the face of the confusion, he had preferred to set up camp near the wall.

When Dean, Castiel, Father Singer, and Frank Devereaux arrived in the city they felt uncertain for a moment about the course of action to take.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all that upheaval, a man had managed to maintain a clear head and was slowly having a calming effect around him: Minister Balthazar. It was difficult to get an audience with him, but at the end of a day of waiting, he received them.

Castiel was taken aback by his friend's exhausted but determined appearance. He had always been good-natured, and though he devoted himself to his work with professionalism, he had never been able to demonstrate all the value his childhood friend knew he possessed.

When the two scholars presented him with evidence of Crowley's illegal ascent to the throne, Balthazar immediately called in the legal advisors who were working in the case against him and his mother.

They regarded this as the greatest proof of that man's betrayal of the kingdom, and he would cease to be prosecuted merely as an instrument in his mother's hands to have a direct case brought against him. His trial would be very hard and it would not be surprising if capital punishment were applied.

Before the former captains of the kingdom could leave his office, the minister called them and thanked them for their invaluable help in capturing Rowena. He also offered them the posts they used to occupy in the Royal Guard and the Corps of Archers.

After they looked at each other, they both accepted their commissions back. This had been their wish all along, but they feared they would have to leave the country if they remained under Crowley's rule. They left the palace still with the guarantee that their military record would be cleared of any reference to the high treason that they supposedly had committed.

In fact, the trial was quick and determined Crowley's guilt, condemning him to death on the gallows the next day.

Castiel remembered the dream he had had, where the two stone statues watched the king escape. Upon analyzing it, he came to the conclusion that the exact opposite had happened: they were free from the curse and because of it Frank had been responsible, with Father Singer, for overthrowing the monarch. They had indirectly been responsible for the punishment of the usurper of the throne. It made sense, Dean thought. The fairies had an enigmatic way of communicating.

Rowena's trial, however, was a more complicated affair, for against her there were charges of conspiracy in two kingdoms and so attorneys from the neighboring country were expected to attend.

When it finally happened, a few weeks later, she was also condemned to death, but her punishment would be carried out in Hades, where crimes against the crown and people had been even more serious. She and the head conspirator, Alastair, would be executed together in a public event.

Faced with the chaotic situation of the post-conflict kingdom with Hades, Dean and Castiel had been helping the country's reconstruction efforts, and the long-awaited marriage had to wait. They lived together in Castiel's house near the capital since they resumed their posts, relinquishing their former quarters in the palace and barracks, by Balthazar's permission.

Balthazar continued as Ministry of Defense and stood out as one of the strongest candidates for the royal succession. The situation was confusing, and the case demanded much juridical study, so he had also temporarily assumed the function of Regent until the succession was finally determined.

Castiel and Dean worked hard, dedicating themselves, besides their military attributions, to several other functions. When they left the shifts, they were usually exhausted and wanted only a few hours of rest next to each other.

One afternoon, at the end of the day, when Castiel went to the Archers quarters to fetch Dean and go home, he found him and Garth talking. When they set off to leave, the orderly handed Dean a basket, which he placed in front of him in the saddle.

Castiel, remembering another time when Dean had brought a similar basket, asked what it was, and a smiling Dean told him that he had planned a special dinner in the cottage near the Fountain of the Faeries. He reminded Castiel it had been four months since the Council put an end to Rowena's curse. He also explained that he planned to spend the night in the cottage and made some preparations.

Knowing Dean’s romantic nature, Castiel happily followed him to that place, thinking that they really had much to celebrate. Their life, despite the difficulties, had been very happy.

They rode for some time, until they saw the house. Castiel watched the smoke coming from the chimney and asked if the it was occupied.

Dean explained that he had asked Mrs. Raines to come and clean the cabin for her overnight stay and prepare a special dinner for them.

They hustled, tying the horses to the gate. Dean took his partner's hand and together they walked to the door. When Castiel turned the knob, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Their closest friends were gathered inside: Charlie, Gilda, Mrs. Raines, Kevin, Frank, Sam, and Father Singer. Even Balthazar came, a bright smile on his face. The only absence was Gabriel, who had gone to Hades to accompany Kali.

The room was decorated with flowers and a banquet was arranged on an improvised table to accommodate everyone.

Before Castiel could move to greet the crowd, Dean took his hand. Turning, he found him kneeling:

"Castiel ... In this place so important in our lives, before our dearest friends, I ask you: will you marry me?"

As his face showed immeasurable joy, the Captain of the Guard pulled the Captain of the Archers to stand and hugged him, whispering,

"Yes, Dean. I will marry you. "

Father Singer had come prepared to officiate the ceremony. Sam would be Dean's best man, and he was visibly touched by the occasion. Castiel turned to the oldest friend he had and asked him if he would give him the honor of being his best man, which Balthazar accepted, without hesitation.

In a ceremony without pomp but full of joy and friendship, the two lovers finally got married, thus sealing the love that had been born between them and had been reaffirmed by the intercession of the ethereal beings of the Faerie Realm.

"Dean, don’t be a child! Come here!"

"Ah, Cas, no... Not that!"

"Yes, yes. The ball is two days from now and I still haven't been able to teach you the Minuet... "

"From what I know the dances at the Palace follow the traditional rules... I don't want to learn to dance with the any of the ladies."

Dean had said that and turned his back on Castiel, looking out the window with his arms crossed, sulking. The time to be at a royal ball and flirt with courtesans and courtiers was past. He only had eyes for his husband now. He couldn't understand why Castiel insisted on this point for some time now.

"Dean..." he whispered, moving closer and wrapping his arms around the other man's waist. "Balthazar made a point of telling me that the Minuet will be special... It says that it is a way of paying homage to us for our contribution during the process of succession and for our marriage. Only same-sex couples will participate. Gilda and Charlie already know this and they are rehearsing. "

Dean turned in the loose circle of his lover's arms and stared at him, still not very convinced.

"Balthazar said that? Is he going to change a tradition... because of us? "

"Yes, you know, he's an incurable romantic... And he wants to modernize customs in many ways. It is one of the points of honor of his government. We have to support him. "

Balthazar had been appointed the new king and the ball was in honor of his coronation. Royalty from several friendly kingdoms had been invited and the event promised to be a milestone in Lawrence's history.

"Alright... If it's his wish... How do we do it?"

Castiel smiled and pulled him into the middle of the sunny room. He pushed back the chairs, while Dean looked at him still a little sulky.

When they had enough space to perform, Castiel moved a few steps away and stood in front of Dean in his flawless posture, his hands clasped on his back. He waited until Dean imitated his pose before continuing.

"First, there is the salute. Since we are both men, we will bow to each other like this. "

Dean imitated him, still affecting a bit of ill will toward the activity. But he remembered how Castiel was a diligent teacher and how much he had enjoyed learning from him. When he got up again, he couldn't hide a little smile.

Castiel tried not to notice the change and continued explaining with patience.

"Turning to face you, I’ll offer my right hand, which you will take with your left. Following the rhythm, which should not be too fast, we will take two steps and then, with the tip your right foot you will tap the ground three times."

"The two of us? Right foot?"

"Yes, at the same time. Like this. Now... Two more steps and we do the same with the left foot... "

That said, they had to repeat those movements two more times.

Dean obeyed, trying to keep pace with Castiel.

Castiel then let go of Dean’s hand, turning again to face him and repeated the initial salute.

"That's it?" Dean asked, a little disappointed. The Minuet he had seen during the ball had seemed grand and those steps were very simple.

"This is just the beginning. Then everything resumes, when we swap partners... "

"Swap? Oh, no, Cas..."

"Partner swap is an important part of the dance, Dean. But all the time, we must turn our eyes to our original partner. The dance ends when, after several evolutions, we end up together again. "

Dean eliminated the distance between them, taking Castiel’s hands. His face was soft, pleased that his partner would do well during the ball, despite his usual complaints.

"If I end up with you again... and only with you... I think I can do that."

"I'm glad you're convinced you'll be able to dance the Minuet, Dean."

"Don't you think it's... enough rehearsal for today?" He asked in a whisper next to Cas’ ear. "Maybe... we could devote ourselves... to a more enjoyable activity instead…?"

Castiel looked deep into those green eyes, made even brighter by the sun light entering the room. He pretended to think for a moment before replying:

"We can resume the rehearsal later... if there is a more important activity."

Dean put his hands on Castiel's hips and brought them flush to his. Proximity to his husband still caused an excitement comparable to the one he had felt the night of that ball where their relationship had begun.

"Dean..." Castiel whispered, wrapping his hands around Dean’s neck and leaning to kiss him.

When they parted, panting, their faces flushed, an aura of contentment enveloped them. Dean lay on the floor and pulled Castiel with him on the carpet, never ceasing to touch him with reverence. They stripped slowly and tenderly before making love passionately.

Afterwards, they fell asleep, one in the arms of the other, enjoying the warmth of the summer afternoon.

On Castiel's left ring finger, which rested on the naked chest of the man who was the only one in his life, a silver ring sparkled. The wedding ring that Dean had given him on the day of their wedding: a silver band with a milky opal inlay on which the figure of a dragonfly was set, reflected the light that came from a distant kingdom, inhabited by ethereal and magnanimous beings, who saw in love the highest power.

The blessing they received from them was renewed every day and would last for eternity.


	24. Timestamp: Summer Solstice

Dean turned in Castiel's arms in the soft morning light. He looked at his beloved, the messy hair and the calm expression in his face. It was an unusual day. A year had passed since they had performed the ritual by the fountain of the Fairies. They had experienced much since then, as many moments of anguish and uncertainty as this immeasurable happiness they knew now.

They had been married for a little over two months. Each day had been lived under the sign of the love that connected them.

Dean knew that Castiel had prepared a surprise to celebrate the date. He had inadvertently heard a comment he had made with Sam. He did not know what was planned, but he was sure that there wouldn’t be in that place where they had made the most enduring commitment of their lives. On that summer Solstice another couple intended to unite under the blessings of the inhabitants of the Faerie Realm.

Charlie and Gilda had decided to go through the same ritual, since their love was equally sincere and deep. Dean and Castiel felt honored to know that they too would henceforth belong to the great Faerie family, protected by their generous gifts.

Castiel moved, awake at last, blinking slowly, trying to get accustomed to the light. Finding his husband's bright eyes, he moved slowly forward and kissed him. He shoved Dean backwards, straddling his hips, never letting his mouth leave Dean’s pretty lips. There were nothing between them and Castiel could feel his lover's arousal.

Moving slowly, he enjoyed Dean's moans. He would never get tired of loving the man who had been the only one capable of captivating his heart. Still relaxed from the night before, it was easy to let his body be taken in by the warmth emanating from his husband and he swayed rhythmically until they both climaxed.

He felt Dean was the person to whom he had always belonged to, even before they met. It was their destiny, and now nothing could separate them, not even death.

Letting himself rest on Dean’s broad, muscular chest, Castiel whispered:

"One year, Dean... One year since we were bonded forever. I love you."

"I love you, Cas ..." he replied, kissing him softly. "That was a great way to start the celebration..." he chuckled as he rolled them onto the bed, Castiel now lying on his back and under his husband's loving gaze.

The sun was already high when the men finally left the room, the proximity something too precious to be ignored, especially on a festive date like that.

Castiel had been charged with repaying the kind gesture the two women had done a year earlier. Dean and he had chosen fine sweets, a delicious wine, a soft blanket, and lots of flowers to make the occasion even more special. They had left everything in the cottage that was located near the fountain, where so much of their joint life had unfolded.

Gabriel had acquired the little house a few months earlier, intending to have a refuge there for himself and for the woman he loved. Kali had returned from Hades ready to make a lasting commitment. Castiel suspected that the two of them would also bathe in the fountain some day.

The Guard Captain rejoiced to think that Dean and he had brought back a forgotten tradition from a remote past and that soon the fairies could be busy again during the shortest night of the year.

A few days later the captains received the visit of their friends, who like them, were now part of a larger circle, belonging to a parallel kingdom to the one in which they lived.

When the two beautiful young women arrived, their happiness was undeniable. Like themselves, the bond was almost palpable, and they still vibrated in the high frequency of the realm with which they had come into contact.

Gilda was particularly talkative and laid aside her reserved nature to tell, with great enthusiasm, how their blessing had been.

"When we entered the fountain and embraced under the glow of the dragonflies, while the blessings were poured out, I could not restrain myself and, speaking in the language of our protectors, I addressed the fairy with whom I spoke earlier."

Castiel, impressed by the boldness and courage of the girl, widened his eyes, prompting her to continue:

"I thanked her for all that she had done for you, dear friends and also for us, allowing us to live our love for eternity."

Charlie, who had been holding back, since her nature was quite eloquent, exclaimed:

"She materialized at the edge of the fountain, smiling at us! It was amazing! Her eyes brimmed with kindness and affection and she touched our forehead and communicated with us silently. "

Dean and Castiel remembered vividly the telepathic contact they had had with the fairy. It was a delicate and unique moment, and they both rejoiced to know that they had also been able to experience that satisfaction. Castiel smiled gently at both of them as Dean took Gilda's hands, her eyes lowered in excitement.

"Then Gilda..." began Charlie, the noticeable admiration in his voice, "asked if we could someday come to visit the splendid kingdom from which they came."

Surprised, Dean said:

"You asked that?"

"Since learning the language of fairies I have been dreaming to learn more about them and... in the face of so much purity and goodness, I felt part of that impressive group."

"And what did she answer?" Castiel asked curiously.

"That fairies do not accept anyone in their kingdom, unless the person is the object of their unconditional love or their deepest contempt. Whom they love, they treat like their children. Those who despise, they imprison forever. "

The two men were silent, waiting anxiously for the outcome of that unexpected revelation.

Gilda, in her melodious voice, concluded the story:

"She told us that we were loved by the fairies and that we could visit them whenever we wanted. We could even, if we desire to, live among them and learn more about their way of life. The fairies aim for a rapprochement with the realm of humans, of which they have been kept apart for a long time, not of their own volition. The ignorance that prevails here is the cause of the rupture between our peoples. They remember with affection the time when they had many of us under their protection. They want us to be the bridge between our two realms, learning about their society and spreading the knowledge in ours."

The women now smiled and looked at each other before revealing the most important fact:

"She taught us the way and at any moment we can begin the journey that will lead us to them. The real reason for our visit is to say goodbye to you, dear friends. We will leave in a few days. The task entrusted to us is too important and of very great scope. The sooner we leave, the better for all of us. "

"But... when will you be back?" Dean wanted to know, torn between the joy for them and the grief over the loss of their friends.

"When we are able to convey to humans the knowledge that will make us more susceptible to the love and kindness they have to share," said Gilda.

"It could be a long time..." Charlie completed. "We are going to miss you guys."

Castiel and Dean embraced them, wishing the best on their mission.

Sun was going up on the horizon, and the placidity of the surface of the small lake was disturbed by the materialization of two beautiful young women. Their bodies were covered with the most magnificent garments, woven of flowers and feathers. Gradually the glow of hundreds of dragonflies was added to the warm light emitted by them, the women returning from their stay in the Fairy Kingdom.

Charlie's hair was now very long, braided in a complex pattern, sprinkled with tiny rose buds. Gilda, whose face conveyed deep placidity, had her hair cascading down her back like a golden cloak. The iridescent dust that poured from the fairies flying around them was the only ornament she desired.

Their bare feet touched the ground of the Kingdom of Lawrence for the first time in a long time. They waved to the friends who had come to say goodbye, already homesick for the family they had left on the other side of the ethereal veil that existed between the two universes.

Each of them carried in one hand a heavy, richly bound volume, the record of the knowledge they had acquired throughout their study. The fingers of their free hands intertwined while they walked serenely towards the city that had left so many moons before.

 

Approaching the well-known cottage near the fountain, they could see that it was now occupied by a family. It had been remodeled and at that time housed Gabriel, his wife Kali and their children, two smart and strong boys, Michael and Luke. The first was as dark as his mother, and the youngest had golden hair like his father. Both of them had the warmest smiles and curious eyes.

They followed the road to the gates of the Capital, where they sought the house where Gilda had lived. Her mother received them with tears of happiness.

Their next destination was the Lawrence Central Library, where they would meet the Chief Librarian to deliver the books they had written. To their surprise, the post was then occupied by Sam Winchester, who replaced Father Singer when he died a few years earlier. Sam’s hair was still long, though slightly gray, but his smile and kindness remained the same.

They knew that he had married one of the princesses of the kingdom of Hades, from the family that had been restored to the throne after the coup of Alastair and Rowena. Jessica and Sam had been given the Faerie blessing a few years ago, a fact they had witnessed. Sam told them that they had since become the parents of three children: Mary Ellen, Joanna Beth, and a boy, Colton.

Inquiring about Kevin, with whom they had forged a strong friendship, they were informed that he was the leader of a group of scholars who copied the works of the Library of the Monks at Blackridge, spreading the ancient knowledge of magic and parallel kingdoms. They were glad to know that the knowledge they had brought would be preserved and taught with the help of their old friend.

Finally, they walked to the simple house in the woods, at the north of the Capital.

Before they reached it, they saw two men who fished quietly, seated on the bank of the creek that ran by the house.

Sitting side by side, Dean's arm wrapped around Castiel's shoulders, their hair denoted the passage of time. The Captain of the Guard, who had been leaning against the Captain of the Archers looked at his companion, his eyes as lively as they were when Castiel had met Dean in a bow and arrow tournament, fifteen years earlier. He leaned over and took Dean's lips in a gentle kiss.

Gilda smiled at Charlie, warmed by the love that emanated from the men they had come to visit. They walked resolutely to meet them.

The two women were there to convey a important invitation from the Fairies: they awaited them for a visit. They desired to know better the beloved children who had started a new era of collaboration between the two realms. The Faeries consider Dean and Cas’ love the symbol of the union of the two universes.

The feeling that united Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester was a matter of legend not only in Lawrence but also among the pure and magical beings of the ethereal Realm of the Fairies.

Dean and Castiel were heroes of a much bigger story, in which Love was the protagonist.

**Author's Note:**

> Vaguely inspired by "Ladyhawke".


End file.
